The Frenchman, who signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at Parkhead midweek to officially take over from interim boss Martin O’Neill, will be thrown straight in at the deep end tomorrow afternoon as his side welcomes William Hill Premiership leaders Heart of Midlothian to the east end of Glasgow.

Just three goals separate Celtic and Derek McInnes’ men at the top of the table.

“It’s a big game,” said Nancy. “It’s a big game for everyone. But you’re going to say, ‘Yeah, Wilfried likes to talk and so on’. But for me, each game is a big game because I want to compete in each game.

“I know the context. No problem with that. So control what you can control. Be good at practice. And be good during the game to maximise our chance to win.

“It’s very hard to come in mid-season as you’re doing that. To just drop in and then play Hearts, who are top of the league. I watch many games. And Hearts are a good team. A really good team, also a physical team. But I think they are not the only team who is like that in terms of physicality.

“And again, we’re going to have to play with personality. And we’re going to have also to be able to control the game. Not only by possessing the game.

“It’s all about also to control the momentum of the game. Because the game is going to be like that [mimes up and down with his hands]. To avoid the game to be like that, we have to get 99% of possession and this is almost impossible. So when we’re going to have bad moments, we’re going to have to be together. And to reverse the battle of power.

“And it’s going to be a dynamic game. And we know the context. We know the way they play so we’ll see.”

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In a move away from tradition, Nancy’s first official Celtic press conference took place at Lennoxtown on Friday. Usually, the club parade their new managers to a wealth of fanfare at Parkhead. The 48-year-old has yet to even set foot in the place they call Paradise.

“I’m so eager to be there,” Nancy continued. “Really excited. Again, I do this job also for the fans. Because I like to create this kind of synergy, this kind of connection. I’m really excited to start this journey at home against a good team.”

With him to Celtic, Nancy has brought assistant coach Kwame Ampadu, assistant coach and fitness coach Jules Gueguen and video performance coach Maxime Chalier.

“I told the board that if Kwame doesn’t come, I will not come,” quipped Nancy. “No, I’m joking. Kwame is my friend. He’s my guy. He’s the oldest guy in the staff. And obviously, the background that he has is really important. He knows the culture.

“He was so emotional when I told him that we have the possibility to come here, because Celtic is his club too. So, this is a really nice story. Obviously, he knows also people within the club.

New Celtic assistant manager Kwame Ampadu alongside Wilfried Nancy. (Image: Stuart Wallace / Shutterstock)

“And obviously, his experience is going to be massive. And that’s why he’s with me. And that’s why we want to assess and process everything.”

Nancy, Ampadu and Co will cast a watchful eye over the Celtic squad in the forthcoming days and weeks. They will take time to know precisely what they have at their disposal. Although many supporters aren’t fully aware of Nancy and his background, the players have carried out their research.

“They know me without knowing me,” Nancy said. “Because, again, they also do due diligence. And they knew what type of coach I am. They didn’t know what type of leader I am.

“And yesterday, it was a day off, so I decided to do a meeting with them. Because I wanted to talk about the core values. I wanted to talk about the game model.

“And just to start today with new eyes. And honestly, the players that I have, they’re spot on. The desire to compete is spot on. And for me, this is the most important. Try to become a better me, all the time. As a person, but also as a player. And this is what I found with my team.”

At Columbus Crew and Montreal, Nancy implemented a distinct 3-4-2-1 system that gave attacking players the freedom to use their own flair and intuition in the final third.

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It is unlikely that he will rip up the Celtic playbook so early into his tenure, although his tactical principles will doubtless remain intact.

“I am passionate about the game,” said Nancy. “I have a beautiful wife who allows me to watch many games. And this is something that I like to do. So all the managers who were managers here, I know them. Not personally, but the style of play and the ways they did.

“The management of Martin [O’Neill] is really, really good with that. Also, he has a clear style of play. Ange [Postecoglou] was different. Again, proactive football, but different in the way he was playing. And Brendan [Rodgers] also. And after that, maybe I am too young to know the other ones.

“But my point is, yes, I know what they did. I know their background. And I am the next one. And I’m really proud to be here.

Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy. (Image: Stuart Wallace / Shutterstock)

“I’m not going to lie. Winning games will allow me to buy time. This is the reality. But after that, I cannot control that. It happened in the past that we played and the team had almost zero expected goals. And they scored, but it was an own goal.

“So, again, that’s why the result for me, yes, we want to have good results. But at the same time, this is more about the process. And our job is like that. And I have no problem with that. That’s why this is not easy. But I don’t think about this because this is part of my life.

“When you make a decision with my backpack and to go to Montreal and to go to Columbus and to come to Scotland, you have to be so brave to do it. And this is part of who I am. After that, I know that I’m going to be judged on results. But I’m fine with that.”

Nancy’s playing career spanned just seven years. A defender by trade, he never operated at a higher level than the French second tier, but he still played in some of the top grounds in his country. Akin to his permanent predecessor Brendan Rodgers, Nancy immediately went into coaching after hanging up his boots.

He boasts an impressive managerial CV, winning the MLS Cup, MLS Leagues Cup, and MLS Coach of the Year for 2024. Nancy also led Columbus Crew to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final.

“I was born in France, Le Havre, and I am a French guy,” he stated. “So I played in Marseille’s Stade Velodrome. I also played at PSG’s Parc des Princes. So I know this atmosphere.

“So now, Celtic is Celtic. But as a player, I did it. And also, you know, you don’t know also this culture. But I can tell you that in Mexico, this is not easy to play. When we face a team with a lot of altitude, and you are not able to breathe, and you play against fans with 70,000, 60,000 and 50,000. And sometimes when there are 30,000, it’s like there are 80,000. So again, just to let you know my background.”

Nancy has had to do a lot of media work over the past few days, perhaps too much for his liking. On Sunday afternoon, he can finally shut his mouth and let the football do the talking.