Callum McGregor has told Wilfried Nancy that the baptism of fire that awaits him is simply what to expect as Celtic manager.
The Frenchman is set to be confirmed as the club’s next permanent boss following Wednesday’s league game with Dundee, which finally looks to be the last of Martin O’Neill’s interim spell.
Provided the outstanding red tape issues are dealt with in the next two days, 48-year-old Nancy will first take on Hearts in a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday then Roma in the Europa League before tackling St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final.
As tough as that opening schedule looks, skipper McGregor feels the expectation on Nancy to win every game won’t change simply because he’ll be getting used to his new environment.
‘That’s Celtic for you, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘Every week’s a big week. It doesn’t matter when you come in, start of the season, play 60-odd games, you have to win them all.
‘And that is the pressure of this club. So, any time you fall below that, then you get criticised.
Wilfried Nancy is expected to be unveiled as Celtic’s new manager at some point this week
Club skipper Callum McGregor says Nancy will quickly learn about expectation levels at Celtic
Interim manager Martin O’Neill is expected to lead the club one last time at home to Dundee
‘The guys that have been here for a number of years, we know that, we know the level. So, you have to win, that is the demand.
‘And whenever the manager’s first game is, they’ll be under pressure to win as well.
‘The players will have to step up again and help the new manager and the guys settle in when they come in.
‘Hopefully, we can all continue to win games and keep pushing the club forward.’
O’Neill has won six out of his seven games in charge with four consecutive Premiership victories ensuring Celtic are now only two points behind leaders Hearts with a game in hand.
After being asked to hold the fort for while longer as the paperwork for Nancy is finalised, the 73-year-old fully expects the Dundee match to be his last in charge.
Asked about the possibility of remaining at the club in another capacity following Sunday’s win over Hibs, the Northern Irishman said it was up to the incoming boss to decide who he wanted around him.
Given the difficult situation O’Neill inherited following Brendan Rodgers’ resignation, McGregor believes the veteran boss has done an outstanding job to this point.
‘I think he knows the club inside out, he knows the fabric of the club, the building, he knows how to treat people with the little nuances that you need,’ he added.
‘He’s an outstanding manager and has shown that in this short spell coming into a team that was struggling for form.
‘I think he’s at six wins out of seven, so it shows you the turnaround in performances and victories and he’s been outstanding.
‘I think everyone’s really enjoyed working with him. Obviously, he’ll take the game on Wednesday evening, so listen, we just keep playing football until someone tells us otherwise.
‘Him, Shaun (Maloney) Foz (Mark Fotheringham) Gav (Strachan) and Mick (Stephen McManus) have done amazing, they’ve brought really big energy to the team and we’re winning games, so ultimately everything’s okay.
Arne Engels scores Celtic’s second goal as they continued their winning run against Hibernian
French coach Nancy could lay down a significant title marker in his first match in charge
‘So, we’ll take the game on Wednesday, we’ll recover, we’ll try to win that game as well and then we’ll see what happens.’
Celtic were eight points adrift of Hearts after losing to them in what proved to be Rodgers’ last game in charge.
Having left Edinburgh at the weekend now potentially one win away from reclaiming top spot, McGregor feels the outlook is far brighter in the space of just over a month.
‘Ultimately, the performances and the results have picked up since then, but it was really early on, we had so much football to be playing,’ he said.
‘I think I said that that day as well, we were only nine games in, we’re now only 13 games in, so there’s still a lot of football, there’s still a lot that can go right, can go wrong.
‘So, we just have to stay on the track, we keep looking at ourselves, we keep trying to improve and every time we get a chance to play a game, can we win?’
