Celtic told they've got a 'clean' finisher on their books as striker earns rave review away from Parkhead
The striker is loving life at Bolton Wanderers amid his loan spell
Celtic player Johnny Kenny is continuing to impress during his Bolton loan spell - none more so than Wanderers boss Steven Schumacher.
The Irishman struggled to to get into the swing of things during the first half of the season at Celtic Park, but is having no such issues for the EFL League One side. Kenny made the switch in January, when Celtic brought loanees of their own such as Tomas Cvancara, Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka to replace him.
In a Bolton side that’ve been battling for promotion, Kenny’s eight goal contributions in nine starts have helped them in their push, however a 3-3 stalemate with Huddersfield Town last weekend ended their automatic hopes, as they now prepare themselves for the play-offs.
Bolton boss waxes lyrical about Kenny
It isn’t the first time the 22-year old has impressed during a short term spell having also bagged 20 goals for Shamrock Rovers, also while being on the books of Celtic. Schumacher couldn’t speak any more highly of his number nine and believes his natural finishing ability has helped take his side to the next level this campaign. He also has admired Kenny’s work rate and quality on the training pitch.
After the Huddersfield game, he told Wanderers TV: “Johnny Kenny with another great finish. Johnny strikes the ball so clean when he hits it, and he can hit it that hard off both feet. When we do finishing sessions, I am really impressed with when he hits it right, and how hard it goes. It’s a good bit of play from us, actually. Nice little build-up – when it came to Johnny, a centre forward, there is only one thing on his mind: to try and hit the target. He does. It goes through the goalkeeper. It gives us a lifeline.”
What’s next for the Hoops loanee?
Bolton, who had a expressed long-term interest in Kenny before they made their move in the winter, don’t have an official option to buy the Irishman, however whether he stays at Celtic beyond the summer or not, his goalscoring record south of the border won’t being doing his price tag any harm. He remains contracted at Parkhead until the summer of 2029.
Kenny’s future may be decided by his current club’s league status next season. If they were to gain promotion to the Championship, they would also receive a large influx of cash which could help them facilitate a permanent move. Bradford City, Stockport County and Stevenage currently occupy the other play-off positions, with a handful of games of the regular season left.
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