Brendan Rodgers pinpoints ‘robust’ Celtic standout who excels at the ‘dirty side of the game’

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Celtic’s win over Ross County yesterday afternoon differed from what the fans have been used to this season.

Brendan Rodgers‘ team has racked up 22 goals and conceded just one in the Scottish Premiership, playing silky football as Celtic beat the likes of Hearts, Rangers, Kilmarnock and Hibs.

But in Celtic’s win over Ross County yesterday afternoon, this is the first time the fans have watched their team dig out a victory in a game where The Staggies snuffed out Celtic’s threat and made it difficult for Rodgers’ team to play their football.

In the end, it took two late Celtic goals to seal the victory and Rodgers earmarked one Hoops hero’s all-round performance as ‘brilliant’.

Nicolas Kuhn earns special praise from Celtic boss

Nicolas Kuhn joined the Scottish champions in January this year and Kuhn’s struggles with illness at Celtic at the beginning of his Parkhead career have been well documented.

But now in a rich vein of form, Rodgers reserved special praise for the German winger for not just his goal but also for the hard work he puts in for his Celtic teammates.

Rodgers told the assembled press conference, “He has been absolutely brilliant. I think his fitness, he’s looking more robust now, which is important when churning out the games.

“He looks a real threat for us. So, yeah, you always hope, and you want them to settle but he’s contributing in a big way and that’s what you need your wingers to do.

“They need to create goals and score goals, but also do the the dirty side of the game. And he’s doing it really, really well.”

Nicolas Kuhn’s Celtic numbers vs Rapid Vienna

The German winger’s rise to prominence at the Bhoys has taken a bit of time but with a full pre-season under his belt and now that Kuhn is happier at Celtic, the German winger’s numbers are extremely impressive.

In just over half the number of total appearances he made for Rapid Vienna, Kuhn’s goals and assist rate for Celtic has already outstripped that of his record at the Austrian club.

The Celtic winger is averaging a goal every 187 minutes for Celtic compared to every 488 minutes at Rapid.

And his assist rate is much better as he helps a Celtic teammate find the back of the net every 153 minutes compared to every 341 minutes at his former Austrian club. It is little wonder the Celtic fans are loving what Kuhn is producing this season.

Kuhn is showing exactly why Brendan Rodgers shelled out £3m for him and as the Hoops boss predicted back in February, Kuhn has just got better and better at Celtic the longer he has been at the club.