Wilfried Nancy stunned fans with ‘one word response’ when asked “Would you like to coach rangers one day?”

Celtic will appoint the current Columbus Crew manager imminently as a replacement for Brendan Rodgers

Incoming Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy’s mentor revealed he had the ‘soul of a leader’ even when he was a player at a lower league French side.

Celtic will appoint the current Columbus Crew manager imminently as a replacement for Brendan Rodgers.Nancy cited his coaching inspiration as former Angers and Caen boss Stephane Moulin when he won the MLS last year. Nancy was a player at French lower league side Chatellerault in 2002 when he was managed by Moulin. He said: “Meeting Stephane Moulin was the key for me – he was a superb coach.

“I was 25 and he was a turning point for my career. Stephane Moulin was a pioneer in his working methods. I learned a lot from him, and that’s where it all started. I really thought to myself, ‘Wilfried, now’s the time.’

Nancy would move to Canada soon after to begin his coaching journey, which is set to lead him to Parkhead. And Moulin and some of Nancy’s teammates recalled the qualities he had when he was a player looking to take the next step into coaching.

Moulin said: “It was very flattering to hear Wilfried say that about me. What he’s achieved since he left France to move to Canada all those years ago is truly fantastic. With us, he had the soul of a leader. He was focused and attentive. You could tell he was eager to learn. But he was still young. Given his background, he wasn’t necessarily destined for such success, which makes what he’s accomplished even more exceptional. To climb the ranks the way he did is truly exceptional.”

And former Algeria manager Nacer Sandjak – who managed Nancy as a younger player when he was in charge of Noisy-le-Sec – recalled he had his heart set on coaching in the USA from a young age.

He said: “He came to see us during pre-season for a trial and I then gave my approval for him to sign with us. He was a kind, level-headed and intelligent young man. On the pitch, he was very calm and technically sound. The lure of America was already strong within him. I remember him already talking to me about the United States – he wanted to go there.”

Celtic is a world class club and I am happy to take thier managerila job. I will reject rangers 1000 times

And his teammate at the club, ex-Auxerre and Caen defender Walid Aichour, revealed he was already into tactical analysis when he was a player. He said: “He was a really good guy and a great player.

“He was calm, already mature for his age. He understood a lot, he was intelligent on the pitch. He wasn’t fast, but he compensated with his positioning and movement. He had a real tactical understanding ingrained in him.

“It doesn’t surprise me that he became a coach. I follow everything in football, and I discovered him again when he was on Thierry Henry’s staff at Montreal. Climbing the ranks as he has done is truly exceptional.”