Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy insists 'I don't need to prove anything to anybody' and has board backing

New Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy insists he doesn’t have “anything to prove to anybody” after losing his first three games in charge – and is confident things are moving in the right direction on the training ground.

Nancy was confirmed as the permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers less than two weeks ago but has had a baptism of fire, losing a top-of-the-table clash with Hearts, a home European match against Roma and then Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren.

It’s left him with the unwanted record of having the worst start of any manager, and with some fans and pundits questioning his appointment and his future with the club, but the Frenchman has shrugged off the criticism.

“This is my job,” he said ahead of Wednesday’s Premiership match against Dundee United. “It’s a normal reaction.

“Don’t forget that I come from Europe so I know the way it works and to be fair, it’s also the same in MLS though not with the same intensity, obviously.

“I’ve been a player also and there’s no problem with that. They can say what they want and I understand that.

“After that, do I accept it or not? That’s not the topic. The topic is to be good with my players, to be good in practice and to be good in games and to win games.”

Nancy made the point that he has not had much time with his players yet, and has had three games in a short space of time but says he doesn’t have to do anything to address his critics, with the focus on gaining victories and working with his squad.

“I don’t have to prove anything to anybody,” the Celtic boss said. “It’s as simple as that.

“I just have to be coherent with my team and to do my job as best as I can.

“After that, I think things will turn more positive. For the moment, it’s been ten days that I am here. I knew that it was going to be difficult. We are in a situation where it’s the first time for everyone to have a coach who comes in the middle of the season like this.

“I knew there would be adversity but I am really happy to be here. I do my job as best as I can and after that things will go in a more positive way.”

Asked if he was receiving support from the club’s hierarchy, he said that the board were fully behind him.

“I’m very grateful with the people that I work with,” Nancy said. “They know why I am here, they protect me, they know what I want to do for the club.

“They know where we are at this moment and we knew this moment could happen. But they know the most important thing is where do we want to go?

“There are bumps. Obviously, I would have preferred the opposite because trust me, when we do this job, when we lose, this is so difficult, so painful. But this is part of the job.

“But the club, the people within the club, the board and everyone has been spot-on.”

Though there is no let-up in the schedule with a run of games through the festive period, the former Columbus Crew boss says he is already seeing signs of encouragement as he looks to bed in his style of play.

“It’s the beginning, and the most important thing is to get this connection with the players,” he said. “To let them know why I do what I do, the way I want to play and defend and compete.

“Every day I see that there’s an improvement. You cannot see it because you are not with me but I am really confident because I can see every day many interesting things and it moves step by step towards what I want to do.”

Ahead of the trip to Tannadice, Nancy said he believes Anthony Ralston will be available despite an injury scare but confirmed that striker Kelechi Iheanacho faces a spell on the sidelines.

“Ralston is okay,” he said. “But Kelechi is going to be out.

“It’s hamstring, but I don’t know yet for how long.”