Thierry Henry says former assistant Wilfried Nancy should be given more time at Celtic, and the club must "let him cook" before judging their new manager at the end of the season.

Nancy, who served as an assistant coach to Henry at CF Montreal before taking over the side from the former Arsenal and France striker in 2021, has had a bruising first 15 days in Glasgow. Four defeats in as many matches since replacing interim boss Martin O'Neill has piled pressure on the Frenchman, with a section of Celtic fans calling for him to be sacked following a 2-1 defeat by Dundee United on Wednesday.

However, speaking after receiving the Lifetime Achievement award at BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2025, Henry threw his full weight behind the Celtic boss. "I see people calling for him to leave the place," Henry told BBC Radio 5 Live. "As a coach myself, I think it's too early to say that. Let him work and let him cook and judge him maybe at the end of the season."

Nancy's first managerial stint in Europe - having moved from Major League Soccer (MLS) side Colombus Crew - began with defeats by title rivals Hearts and Roma in the Europa League, before a 3-1 loss to St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup final. Their latest defeat at Tannadice left Celtic six points behind Premiership leaders Hearts, albeit with a game in hand.

"The thing is it's tough to come and try to impose your philosophy and your identity at a club maybe - I don't know because I haven't watched many games - playing another way," Henry said. "Right now it's too early, and I do think he can turn it around. He is a great guy and has a great mind. It's not working at the moment and obviously it doesn't look great. But he's a friend of mine, so I am going to be biased. You don't want any coach to lose their job that early. It doesn't make sense to me."

Nancy, who led Columbus Crew to the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup the following year, was named MLS coach of the year in 2024. He will search for his first points as Celtic manager when his side host Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday (15:00 GMT).