Celtic loanee inspires Champions League win as Philippe Clement issues Rangers injury update
A Celtic ace, currently out on loan, impressed audiences in the Europa Conference League.
Rangers and Celtic are preparing for another round of Scottish Premiership fixtures at the weekend - the Light Blues will square off against St. Mirren, while Celtic will take on Motherwell at Fir Park. What is circulating in the rumour mill today?
A Celtic youngster, who is currently out on loan, put forth an impressive display in the Europa Conference League - meanwhile, Rangers manager Philippe Clement has given an injury update ahead of his team’s fixture on Sunday.
Celtic loan star Johnny Kenny stars in Europa Conference League win for Shamrock Rovers
The Celtic hierarchy are beginning to take notice of young loanee Johnny Kenny, who is currently playing for Shamrock Rovers - he put forth a brilliant display for the South Dublin club as they defeated Larne by a score of 4-1 in the Europa Conference League.
Kenny scored Rovers’ second goal of the evening, showing clever movement to find himself on the end of a Graham Burke cross and headed the ball home from point blank range.
Recently, Kenny has spoken on trying to impress the Celtic coaching staff. He wants to prove his parent club ‘wrong’ - such an impressive performance on the European stage will surely pay dividends for him in the future.
Earlier in the month, Kenny said: “It’s difficult. [Celtic] are my current club, but you just have to try prove them wrong on the pitch and see what comes of it. It’s a message here and there from Darren O’Dea [Celtic’s professional player pathway manager], that’s it, that’s all it is. I’m into the last few months of my deal now at Celtic, so we’ll just see what happens.”
Philippe Clement gives Rangers injury update ahead of weekend
Philippe Clement gave an injury update on his squad ahead of the weekend, following the Gers’ excellent win over FCSB in the Europa League. He focused on Cyriel Dessers, who stormed down the tunnel when he was brought off with what was thought to be an eye problem.
Additionally, the Belgian also gave updates on Tom Lawrence and Leon Balogun. Lawrence suffered a ‘bad knock’ and was hooked at half time, while Balogun is thought to be suffering with cramp.
Speaking to the media after the game, Clement stated: “Tom Lawrence got a bad knock, so we need to see how he is and what we can do with that. Leon Balogun cramped, so I don't think it's a big issue.”
Meanwhile, on Dessers, Clement said: “He apologised for that. He was so emotional. He was hungry to score, hungry to play good for the team. He got a knock on his eye and lost eyesight. He could not see anything any more or not enough to play so he was emotional in that moment because he didn't want to come off. But he could not play.
“Afterwards he said: 'Sorry manager, I should have stayed longer and sit down and give time for the rest' but it was an emotional reaction of a player who is very hungry to play.”