'Hard to take' Golden Boot contender opens up on Celtic situation with deal set to expire

League of Ireland Golden Boot contender Johnny Kenny has expressed his frustration with Celtic for not making more of an effort with him during his loan spell at Shamrock Rovers and claims he is doing everything he possibly can to prove his parent club wrong.

Kenny, who was signed from Sligo Rovers as an 18-year-old in January 2022, is still waiting to make his first appearance for Celtic in what has been a frustrating start to life in Glasgow after signing a five-year contract.

Upon arriving at Celtic, he was almost immediately loaned out to Queen’s Park in the Scottish Championship, but failed to score in any of his 12 appearances.

He spent last season on loan in the League of Ireland with Shamrock Rovers and initially struggled to find the net on a regular basis, with just five goals and one assist from 30 matches for the 2023 title winners, before signing a one-year loan extension.

However, this season he has transformed into one of the most prolific strikers in Irish football, with 12 goals and two assists from 27 league games, leaving him just two behind the division’s leading scorer Patrick Hoban.

He has also scored twice in three Champions League qualifying appearances and is hoping to make an impression in the Europa Conference League this term.

Kenny is a key part of a Shamrock Rovers side chasing their fifth consecutive league title, but admits the lack of recognition back in Glasgow is hard to take.

In an interview with The Irish Independent, he explained: “It’s difficult. 

“They 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.

“It’s hard to take. Last year, [the lack of contact was] fair enough because I wasn’t really performing. But this year, I think I have performed well and I have gotten minimal contact from them.

“But look, I’ll just keep going game by game and see where it takes me. I’m always hopeful of getting an opportunity [at Celtic], but it might be limited. It would be a dream to play over there, but we’ll wait and see."