It feels like ages since Wilfried Nancy's 33-day tenure at Celtic. The team have come on a lot since then, fighting their way back into the title race, and now, on-loan Celtic striker Johnny Kenny has given his thoughts on the manager.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, he said:
"It was difficult. He came in and everything probably changed for the 33 days. He just didn’t get the results required. I don’t know if I could put a finger on it, but maybe it was too much too soon.
To come in and change it all when we were playing every three days and didn’t have much training time, was probably tough so that didn’t help Wilfried.
He’s a lovely man but unfortunately it just didn’t work out on the pitch. It hasn’t been straightforward this season, but I still have full belief they can prove everyone wrong. "
Kenny, who is currently out on loan at Bolton, spoke about his Celtic aspirations. He clearly doesn't want to leave the club in the summer and is willing to fight for his chance.
He said:
"The dream is to play for Celtic on a regular basis.
I love it up there. The pressure, it’s a privilege to go out and be expected to win. People are going to talk no matter what job you’re doing. Some are going to try and be negative, but it doesn’t really affect me.
You just have to get on with it. It’s easy to talk, isn’t it? There’s a reason we go on the pitch. I’m not on Twitter, so I don’t see any of it. What I don’t see can’t affect me.
I think I’m pretty laid back. It’s the same as being on the pitch back in Riverstown. It is intense, but that’s what comes with playing with a big club."
Will Kenny get his chance?
Kenny is set to return to the club at the end of the season, and he'll be hopeful that under a new manager, he can impress. He joined Celtic all the way back in January 2022 from Sligo Rovers, but has failed to break into the first team.
He would make his debut a whole three years after joining, with him being sent out on loan before then, and his first goal came in May 2025 in a 5-1 win against Aberdeen. He was given a four-year contract last year, with the club seeing positives in his development, and after Martin O'Neill came to the club, he finally got a small run in the team.
Under Nancy though, he was back to the drawing board, as he missed a series of big chances that saw him dropped from the squad.
It's going to be exciting to see if he can break into the team upon his return, with Celtic needing a striker who can score goals. The Hoops are set to lose Junior Adamu, Tomas Cvancara and Kelechi Iheanacho, leaving them with just Kenny as an option.
If there was ever a time for him to prove himself, it is when he returns. He likely has one chance left, so let's hope he takes it.