Celtic boss Neil Lennon was full of praise for Mohamed Elyounoussi on his debut for the Hoops. The Southampton loanee played 66 minutes of the game, and played a key role in the most important moment of the game.
His cross led to James Forrest scoring the only goal of the game in Celtic’s 1-0 victory. Lennon was effusive in describing Elyounoussi’s impact on the game.
“A great start”
“Elyounoussi made a really good impact, he was nice and composed and set up the goal. It’s a great start and I’m delighted for him” he told the Celtic Twitter account following the game.
The assist for the goal really was the ideal start for the player. It would only have been bettered had he found the back of the net himself, but the man who Southampton paid £16 million for has made a good start to his Hoops career.
Will he start in Europa League?
Now Neil Lennon has a decision to make – will he keep Elyounoussi in the team for the first Europa League group stage game against Rennes?
If he wants to keep Celtic’s attacking style of play going in what will be a difficult match, then the answer will be ‘yes’.
However, if Lennon decides to take a more cautious approach, then Elyounoussi may be kept on the bench.
Still, it is an interesting decision that Neil Lennon has to make. When the team is announced on Thursday, Lennon’s approach to the game could be made clear once we find out if Elyounoussi is in the starting line-up.
It is a good conundrum for the manager to have though. Elyounoussi has already shown his quality in one game, and could be a key man for the Hoops this season.
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