Alistair Johnston reckons Wilfried Nancy could have been a success at Celtic if he had been given a pre-season to fully implement his tactical ideas.
Johnston has no doubts that the Frenchman, who replaced interim manager Martin O'Neill in the Parkhead dugout last December but lasted just 33 days, will prosper elsewhere.
Nancy lost six out of his eight games in charge of Celtic and was relieved of his duties following a 3-1 defeat to Rangers at the beginning of January.
He departed with a lower win percentage – 25 – than any of his 19 predecessors.
Ironically, Celtic right-back Johnston enjoyed one of the most fruitful periods of his career under Nancy.
The Canadian spent a year at MLS club Montreal with Nancy at the helm, making 39 appearances across all competitions and ultimately earning his big move to Celtic.
But when his old manager arrived in Glasgow's East End, Johnston was sidelined with a hamstring injury. He did not feature at any point during Nancy's disastrous reign.
"It was tough, just because I couldn't be out on the grass," Johnston said. "I knew what he wanted to implement and how different it would be compared to what we're used to here.
"It was just tough being injured and not being able to get out on the grass and help things, and help guys understand exactly what he was trying to look for.
"Again, French is his first language – there are a couple of things that can get lost in translation a little bit.
"I was just trying my best, especially off the pitch, just to help guys out. But it's never the same when you're off the pitch, trying to talk guys through it versus being out there and helping them through.
"It was a really sticky period. We dropped quite a few points there. It was quite a low in my time at the club. We never had results like that in such a prolonged period. It was difficult."
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Nancy implemented a distinct 3-4-3 formation from the off. Players were unfamiliar with where to be, when to press, and overall, what to do.
His system showed green shoots of potential in victories over Aberdeen and Livingston, yet it wasn't enough.
That said, Johnston believes Nancy will thrive elsewhere and that, with a full pre-season behind his back, his Celtic tenure could have panned out differently.
"Look, I think he's a great manager. I think his football does work," he added. "Whatever the case was, it obviously wasn't the right time.
"But that's not to say he can't go to another European club or wherever and make it work.
"Would a pre-season probably have helped? I do think so. Whenever you're trying to do a completely different style of football and introduce some really new ideas, it definitely helps to have friendly matches to really work on things.
"But that's also the challenge of working at a club like this – you don't necessarily get time. Especially when you come in mid-season, you need to hit the ground running, and I think that's something he was acutely aware of.
"Unfortunately, it didn't work out, but I've got no doubt in my mind that he's going to go somewhere else and be a huge success."
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