FLIGHT OF NANCY

Globetrotter Wilfried pitches up at Parkhead with sense of excitement at challenge ahead

- MICHAEL GANNON

WILFRIED NANCY took a leap into the unknown when he arrived in Canada with little more than a backpack full of his belongings.

Twenty years later he has arrived at Celtic and knows exactly what to expect.

Nancy was given a slightly low-key unveiling at Lennoxtown yesterday, rather than the usual Celtic Park roll out.

He was also on how own, with no Peter Lawwell or Michael Nicholson on either flank presenting the new man in charge. But while the big reveal might have been a tad underwhelming, the impression made by the new gaffer was anything but.

Nancy looks assured, confident but humble, excited yet realistic about the challenge ahead. At one point he got quite animated when the assembled journos mentioned the change in intensity going from the sleepy hollow of the MLS to the white-hot cauldron of Glasgow football.

This is not some wet behind the ears coach who has no idea what he's let himself in for.

Unlike when he pitched up across the pond as a 28-year-old former French lower league player wondering about his next steps on the career ladder.

Nancy took a job at the University of Quebec coaching the girls youth team - and it set him off on a path to Parkhead.

He said: “I wanted to see something different because I have a big family all over the world. So I wanted to see Montreal. After one month, I had the possibility to start my journey as a coach.

"So I took my backpack and I said, 'Let's try over there'. Everything started from there.