WILFRIED NANCY could attract his own version of Yankee Doodle Dandies by raiding the American market for fresh talent.
The Frenchman has just signed a two-and-a-half year contract at Celtic after quitting Columbus Crew and will be looking to put his stamp on the champions.
There could be a revamp of the squad in the summer and there may be a couple of additions in the January transfer window.
When Ange Postecoglou was in charge, the Greek-Aussie boss introduced four Japanese recruits in his first six months with Kyogo Furuhashi the first to arrive in late July 2021.
THUMBS UP…Alistair Johnston was an instant hit after arriving from CF Montreal.
The prolific striker was followed by midfielders Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi plus winger Daizen Maeda. Others followed as the Hoops explored the talent in the J-League.
Now the new Hoops gaffer should take advantage of his knowledge of the MLS marketplace, according to former Parkhead scout Neil McGuinness, who is currently technical director at Los Angeles FC after being Nancy’s recruitment chief at Ohio-based Crew.
The one-time talent-spotter said: “I strongly believe it’s a market Celtic should be looking at. You just have to see the success of Alistair Johnston at Celtic after joining from CF Montreal.
“But you look beyond that, there are more and more players who are going to Europe from the MLS and excelling.
“You look at Aidan Morris who went to Middlesbrough has done very well, Almiron when he went to Newcastle and was excellent.
“We had Cucho Hernandez at Columbus, who went to Real Betis and is producing the goods in La Liga. There are many, many more.”
IT TAKES TWO…Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate celebrate the midfielder’s goal in the 3-1 Europa League win over Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
McGuinness, speaking to the Daily Record, added: “The MLS is a very good standard and it’s improving every year. There are quality players coming through and they are playing alongside some really top stars.
“At LAFC, we brought in Son Heung-min from Spurs and players can learn from these guys.
“Regardless of the league players are in, if they are showing the attributes and mentality to play at a higher level, there is always opportunity to find them.
“Celtic have done well in exploring markets outside Europe, with the likes of the Japanese players making huge impressions.
“But America is definitely another environment they should be looking at.”
In the meantime, Nancy is preparing his squad for his debut appearance at Parkhead when the champions host Hearts in a top-of-the-table confrontation on Sunday.
‘I AM A LEADER,’ INSISTS NANCY
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