He sits joint third on this season’s UEFA Convention League scoring charts alongside the likes of Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku and Krzysztof Piatek of Istanbul Basaksehir.
He returned to Celtic from his swashbuckling mortgage stint at Shamrock Rovers with goals of pitching in with extra objectives to assist Celtic over the road of their procession in direction of the Scottish title.
However 21-year-old Irishman Johnny Kenny has since been afforded solely 41 minutes of motion throughout 4 video games, with an additional 4 events the place he watched the motion as an unused substitute.
For a prodigious younger expertise who was the discuss of Europe and a wished man in England through the January switch window — to not point out again at Shamrock Rovers — it represents a definite lack of ‘kicking-on’.
In fact, Celtic haven’t precisely been struggling up entrance, with Daizen Maeda excelling following the departure of Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes and Adam Idah nonetheless on the premises to supply his personal affect when referred to as upon.
However, with the vacation spot of the league title lengthy since up for debate and supervisor Brendan Rodgers having talked up Kenny’s credentials within the wake of his profitable mortgage spell, there will be little question the participant himself would have anticipated slightly extra time on the sector.
Brendan Rodgers talked up Johnny Kenny’s credentials however has hardly performed him in Celtic group
Striker Kenny took the Europa Convention League by storm on mortgage at Shamrock Rovers
Rodgers might threat dropping the gifted younger Irishman if he doesn’t get extra sport time
Many a teen has grown annoyed by an absence of alternatives at Parkhead, with Mikey Johnston and Rocco Vata simply two of the more moderen Celtic ‘youngsters’ to have moved south and located the English Championship a land of alternative relating to sport time.
Kenny’s affect at elite stage in Europe this season renders any debate about his potential a pointless train.
The priority now have to be that if he continues to be an unused sub, whereas Rodgers continues to look the opposite means, the participant will inevitably need to discover a new house extra receptive to letting him categorical his skills.
Kenny’s affect with Shamrock Rovers — who narrowly misplaced out on a spot within the Convention League’s final 16 after an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to Norwegian aspect Molde within the striker’s absence — will likely be remembered for years to return in South Dublin. He now deserves an opportunity to construct on his exploits.
The place Celtic might win it… if Rangers do not blow it first!
Such is Celtic’s domination of Scottish soccer that the query right now of yr isn’t a lot whether or not they’ll win the title as when.
The Parkhead aspect have received the championship in 13 of the final 14 seasons, failing solely in 2021 when Steven Gerrard’s Rangers thwarted Celtic’s historic bid for 10 in a row.
Very often, the Parkhead aspect are so comfortably forward that the one remaining suspense surrounds the place and on what date the deal will likely be sealed.
It is doable that champions Celtic might win the title at McDiarmid Park this season
Might it’s earlier than the break up, which would scale back the final 5 fixtures to a battle for European locations? May it’s towards Rangers, a nightmare situation that the SPFL are eager to keep away from for safety causes?
After final weekend’s spherical of video games, through which Celtic beat St Mirren and Rangers misplaced to Motherwell, Brendan Rodgers’ aspect moved 16 factors forward of their nice rivals with simply 9 video games left.
Which implies that Celtic can assure themselves the title by successful their subsequent three league video games. The primary is at house to Rangers, the second at house to Hearts and the third away to St Johnstone.
So the date round which a inexperienced ring is pencilled on the Celtic calendar is April 6, one week earlier than the break up. The venue is McDiarmid Park and the opponents are a group they’ve crushed 4-0 and 6-0 already this season.
Sky Sports activities have already introduced that they are going to be in Perth to cowl it.
In fact, it might turn into later than that and, if we’re being sincere, it might even be sooner. These calculations are primarily based on the idea that Rangers will beat Dundee at Dens Park on March 29. The best way the Ibrox aspect are taking part in proper now, you wouldn’t again them to beat anyone, by no means thoughts a membership who’re combating for his or her Premiership lives.
Contrasting fortunes of South Korean pair
The 2 South Korean gamers who signed for Celtic simply after Brendan Rodgers returned in 2023 appear to be on contrasting profession paths.
Whereas one is lastly making an affect on the membership after a year-and-a-half of endurance and onerous work, the opposite is a great distance from fulfilling his Parkhead dream.
Yang was sensational when he emerged from bench to attain twice towards St Mirren
South Korean team-mate Kwon has fallen off the radar throughout mortgage spell with Hibernian
Kwon made a promising begin with Easter Street aspect however is not assured a sport
Yang Hyun-jun has taken some time to adapt to the calls for of taking part in in Glasgow, however the 23-year-old winger has proven in latest video games that he’s rising as an individual and a participant.
Having caught the attention instead towards Aberdeen final midweek – when he scored Celtic’s fourth purpose in a 5-1 victory – Yang went one higher with a brace of their 5-2 win towards St Mirren final Saturday. The rating was 2-2 when he got here off the bench.
All of the indicators are that Yang is settling in ultimately. He loved amusing and a joke together with his team-mates at full-time. And Rodgers advised in jest that the participant’s nice leap ahead might be attributed to the presence in Scotland of his girlfriend.
Whereas Yang is discovering his toes at first-team stage, the identical can’t be mentioned of Kwon Hyeok-kyu, who joined Celtic similtaneously his compatriot and, like Yang, signed a five-year contract.
The defensive midfielder, who had been taking part in second-tier soccer in South Korea, has nonetheless to make an look for Celtic, having spent over a yr away on mortgage.
First there was a six-month stint at St Mirren, the place he fared properly sufficient. Then got here a season-long take care of Hibs, the place he’s presently spending most of his time on the bench.
He has made 13 begins for the Edinburgh membership, however most have been throughout Hibs’ poor begin to the season. As David Grey’s aspect have turned it round, Kwon has turn out to be a extra peripheral determine.
The previous South Korean youth worldwide will likely be at Parkhead on Sunday for Hibs’ Scottish Cup quarter-final tie towards Celtic. Ineligible to play towards his dad or mum membership, he will likely be restricted to a watching temporary.
There’s time but for Kwon to determine himself in Celtic’s first-team squad however, proper now, that looks like a distant prospect.
Hibs to convey largest travelling assist for seven years
Not least among the many charms that give the Scottish Cup its enduring attraction is the SFA rule that entitles visiting golf equipment to twenty per cent of the tickets for any given tie.
The host membership’s obligation to make as a lot as a fifth of their stadium out there, if requested, comes as a refreshing change to the weekly grind through which away followers are too typically squeezed out.
Hibs look set to convey as much as 7,000 supporters to Celtic Park for Sunday’s Scottish Cup tie
The Easter Street aspect are flying excessive within the league and pose an actual menace to Celtic within the Cup
It implies that this Sunday’s quarter-final between Celtic and Hibs needs to be fairly a spectacle, with the Edinburgh membership asking for — and receiving — as much as 7,000 tickets for the away finish.
That may be the largest travelling assist to go to Celtic’s floor since 2018, once they and Rangers nonetheless had an settlement to confess round 7,000 away followers to every Previous Agency derby.
The catch for Hibs is that they need to pay for all their tickets, even when they don’t promote them, however it will likely be a shock if they don’t seem to be snapped up amid the rising euphoria across the Edinburgh membership.
A 15-game unbeaten run has culminated in three straight league victories, towards Celtic, Dundee United and Hearts, with the final of these taking David Grey’s aspect into third place.
It has been a outstanding turnaround for the membership who have been backside of the Premiership as lately as December. If the shape guide is any information, they’ll make their presence felt at Celtic Park — as will their supporters.
Why the January window ISN’T that troublesome in spite of everything
It appears inevitable that any time the topic of the winter switch window is raised, any supervisor will inform you it’s a notoriously troublesome time of yr through which to do enterprise.
This appears significantly pronounced at Celtic. Some 14 months in the past, the membership successfully issued an apology when the arrival of Nicolas Kuhn and the mortgage signing of Adam Idah have been the sum of the membership’s incomings.
Though Jeffrey Schlupp got here on this yr, the failure to safe a direct substitute for Rennes-bound Kyogo Furuhashi was once more perplexing.
But you don’t have to return that far to seek out demonstrable proof that buying high quality gamers in January isn’t fairly as troublesome as is being made out.
Jeffrey Schlupp has solely simply arrived however is proving a stable signing for the Parkhead membership
Reo Hatate has turned out to be considered one of Celtic’s genuinely high class January arrivals
Daizen Maeda was one other who was dropped at Celtic through the winter switch window
Nicolas Kuhn didn’t impress when he first arrived 14 months in the past however is now a Celtic star
On the halfway level in season 2021-22, below Ange Postecoglou, Celtic signed 5 gamers.
There was undoubtedly promise in Yosuke Ideguchi, however the man who value £850,000 from Gamba Osaka had a brutal run of accidents.
Additionally arriving was Reo Hatate from Kawasaki Frontale for £1.4million. The midfielder has been an enormous success and will properly transfer for round £10m to the EPL this summer season.
Daizen Maeda got here in initially on mortgage from Yokohama Marinos. Three years later, with 26 objectives to his title, he’s the discuss of the Bayern Munich dressing room.
Matt O’Riley got here in later that month after a £1.5m transfer from MK Dons. He was sensational at Parkhead and moved to Brighton in the summertime for £25m.
A lot for a troublesome window. Three years on, the advantages of doing all your homework and planning forward are manifest each on the park and within the membership’s robust monetary figures.
