Julian Araujo: I’ve heard great things about Wilfried Nancy

Julian Araujo has backed Wilfried Nancy to get it right at Celtic after the defender joined the Hoops on loan from Bournemouth until the end of the season.

The former Columbus Crew boss is under pressure after winning just two of his seven games in charge of the Parkhead club.

Nancy has recruited the 24-year-old right-back, capped 16 times by Mexico, and has added him to his squad ahead of the Old Firm clash against Rangers at Parkhead on Saturday.

Celtic’s newest recruit, who was born in California, began his professional career in Major League Soccer with the Los Angeles Galaxy before joining Barcelona in February 2023.

Celtic’s number 2️⃣2️⃣#WelcomeJulián | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/0rVFDngZli

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 2, 2026

He had a loan spell at Spanish side Las Palmas before making the move to Bournemouth in August 2024 and now he wants to bring “a little bit of joy” to the Celtic fans and believes Nancy will help him do that.

Araujo said: “I’m confident in him. I’m sure the whole squad is behind his back.

“I’ve heard great things. I’ve asked a couple of team-mates of mine, players that have played against his players, and they’ve all said only good things about him.

“And when I had that call with him, I got positive vibes and I’m very confident that some good can come out of this.

“Obviously, it’s a new manager, a new team and you need time, just like players, we need time to adapt to our team-mates.

“Obviously we trust him. I trust him. I know he can turn this around.

“You can see it in the training sessions. I have been here for two, three days now, and you can see the intensity that he tries to give to the players, and I’m sure it’ll do us good.”

Araujo looks forward to his first Old Firm game and is “ready if the gaffer needs me.”

He said: “Obviously I know what this game is about.

“I’m excited, not only for this game but for the rest of the season.

“I know tomorrow’s going be a big game, obviously, but we have we got to stay humble, keep our feet on the ground, and know what we have got to do.

“Today, we went over what we have to do, so I think tomorrow’s just to implement it and be confident, go out there and play our game.

“I’m going give you everything I can. I’m going do whatever I can.

“I don’t know, if I fall, if I collapse on the pitch, then I collapse on the pitch, but I’ll give you everything I need to be able to stay up to speed with my team-mates.”