Celtic hail Jansen as he battles dementia

CELTIC have sent their best wishes to former manager Wim Jansen after it emerged he had been diagnosed with dementia. Jansen spent only one season at Celtic Park but left a lasting legacy after leading his team to the League Cup and league title, stopping Rangers winning a record 10th consecutive championship. The former Holland international also signed Henrik Larsson in a bargain deal from Feyenoord. A club statement read: ‘Everyone at Celtic would like to send their best wishes to our former manager, Wim Jansen, after he revealed this week that he is living with dementia. ‘Wim, who turns 75 this Thursday, talks about his diagnosis and now living with the illness in a new biography of his life, which is being published in the Netherlands. ‘Wim will be forever held in the highest regard by the Celtic Family for his success in winning the league title for the club back in the 1997/98 season, the year when the Hoops famously “stopped the 10”. ‘Our thoughts are with Wim and his family, and the best wishes of the whole Celtic Family are with a man who delivered one of the most important title triumphs in the club’s history. Wim, You’ll Never Walk Alone.’ Meanwhile, Japan striker Daizen Maeda has broken his silence on reported interest from Celtic and insisted he is only concentrating on his own club for now. Ange Postecoglou has been strongly linked with a move for the J-League’s top scorer, who has 18 goals in 27 starts this season for the Australian’s former club at Yokohama F. Marinos. Maeda said: ‘I know about the reports but my job is just to concentrate on playing and hopefully scoring goals for Yokohama. ‘I am trying not to think too much about the speculation. ‘I am trying to get into the Japan team for the World Cup qualifiers, too.’