Ange Postecoglou offers Celtic hope to Johnny Kenny after getting "very good" coach feedback

By John McGinley

March 10, 2022

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou insists that youngsters such as Johnny Kenny have a chance to catch his eye in Lennoxtown training between now and the end of the season.

Kenny signed from Sligo Rovers in the January transfer window but has yet to make his debut for the club. In fact, he’s had initial injury problems, preventing progress.

However, now fully fit, he impressed for the Celtic B side on Wednesday, getting himself on the scoresheet against Partick Thistle in the Glasgow Cup.

Postecoglou has had good coaching feedback on the 18-year-old and the way he has carried himself, which bodes well for his future.

Ange reckons there is a chance to impress on the training pitch, even if he’s not getting senior minutes.

Speaking in a press conference today [YouTube], Postecoglou said: “We’ll just see how it goes. We’re happy to get Johnny in. We had a sort of disrupted beginning where we had to go easy with him in terms of his training, so he’s back training fully and it’s great to see him playing again. It’s also great to see Mikey Johnston and Karamoko Dembele getting a run too [vs Partick].

“The reports I got back about all three were very good in terms of their attitude and the way they went about the game which is great.

“For all the young guys it is the same thing. They are here with me every day and there is nothing written in their contracts that implores me to say that if they don’t deserve to play then I won’t put them out there.

“The young guys have a chance to put their case forward and be a part of it. At the same time, with the younger ones and new guys that come in we are happy to be patient and let them adjust to life and training here and see how they cope.”

Kenny scored 12 goals in 34 appearances for Rovers as a kid before making his move to the Bhoys and it’s positive he got himself on the scoresheet immediately for Celtic B.

Obviously, there is tough competition in the Celtic attack and we shouldn’t necessarily expect anything from Kenny between now and the summer.

Postecoglou will reward progress though. We know that. He isn’t afraid to throw a youngster in when the time is right.

For the first time in quite a few years, it feels like some of the players coming through Lennoxtown could genuinely make a first-team impact.

In other news, Ange Postecoglou’s Lennoxtown update bodes very, very well for Celtic.