Callum McGregor fires Wilfried Nancy a Celtic warning as new boss told it’ll be baptism of fire

The incoming Hoops boss is set to be handed the toughest of starts to life in Glasgow with crunch games on the horizon

Celtic’s Callum McGregor

Callum McGregor has warned Wilfried Nancy to get used to the instant pressure pile up at Parkhead.

The incoming Columbus Crew boss is set to take charge after Wednesday’s clash with Dundee – and go right in at the deep end at the start of a crunch week of the campaign.

Nancy’s first match will be Sunday’s Premiership collision with league leaders Hearts before rolling into Roma in the Europa League next Thursday – and then the Premier Sports Cup Final showdown with St Mirren.

McGregor admitted it’s a baptism of fire for the new gaffer – and the Frenchman will be getting a crash course on life at Celtic Park.

The skipper said: “That’s Celtic for you, isn’t it? 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.

“So, 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 and hopefully we can all continue to win games and keep pushing the club forward.”

Caretaker gaffer Martin O’Neill is preparing to step aside but has told Nancy he will be available to help with the hangover.

McGregor will have a key role too – with the skipper ready to be a rock for another Hoops manager.

He said: “I think obviously our job in the building is to keep everyone level-headed, keep them calm when you’re winning games.

“It’s the same when you’re losing games, you don’t get too low, so it’s pretty easy at the minute where everyone’s confidence is flying high and the turnaround to the games is so quick that you barely get a chance to breathe, so you’re straight back in.

(Image: PA)

“The demand to win the next game, it doesn’t matter if you’ve won during the week, the demand is to come here and win, and we’ve managed to do that, so we’ll enjoy it, start recovering again and the same happens on Wednesday.”

McGregor is determined to keep the Celtic show on the road amid the changes in the dugout.

And he hailed the incredible job done by O’Neill in getting the side back on track.

The 73-year-old is preparing to take his final bow against Dundee tomorrow night having led the team back to within striking distance at the top of the Premiership, seeing off Rangers to seal a spot in the League Cup Final and back in the qualification hunt in the Europa League.

McGregor said: “Martin 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’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 it’s so busy at the minute, we’ve got two-day recoveries, playing the next day.

“The team are in good form, they’ve got in good momentum, so ultimately as a football player, you just want to get back on the pitch, regardless of the manager situation.

“The guys have come in and done amazing, stabilised the place, have given the players big, big energy, so the players have responded.

“If you win games, it’s always good, so the players are enjoying it at the minute.

“Obviously he’ll take the game on Wednesday evening, so listen, we just keep playing football until someone tells us otherwise.

“He’s done amazing, him and Shaun (Maloney) Foz (Mark Fotheringham) Gav (Strachan) and Mick (Stephen McManus) have done amazing, brought really big energy to the team and we’re winning games, so ultimately everything’s okay.

“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.”