Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy has praised the current fitness levels of winger Mohamed Elyounoussi.
The Norwegian arrived at Parkhead at the end of August, but only made his first-team debut in mid-September against Hamilton Accies. Since then, he’s gone on to make another four outings and has finally scored his first Celtic goal too.
Elyounoussi only managed to play a grand total of 19 times for Southampton last season. He’s already stated in the past that he joined Celtic on loan to start enjoying his football again. (TV2)
Kennedy can clearly see that happening in training too. Speaking to the Celtic View (Volume 55, Issue 15, Page 7), the assistant boss couldn’t speak highly enough of Mo.
“He’s done well recently and has been good since he came in. As with any player, there’s been an adjustment period there where he was topping up his fitness after not playing for a while.
“Confidence has a huge part to play as well but he’s a really fit boy and has a fantastic attitude. He’s very trustworthy and has good experience for his age and with the more games he’s played, he’s improved.
“Let’s hope he keeps adding to his tally with his goals. With him being an attacking player, we want him to get goals and create goals.”
Looks ready to go when called upon
For supporters who have been watching Elyounoussi recently, it doesn’t look as though he has any more fitness concerns. Kennedy’s comments here pretty much confirm that’s the case now too.
He didn’t just net against Cluj on his second European start two weeks ago, he made a statement with that performance. Elyounoussi showed us all how aggressive and powerful he can be on the ball. It was an incredibly industrious display, and the hard worker that he is was on full show.
Even against Livingston, he was the only Celt that looked like creating anything on the dreadful Tony Macaroni Arena surface. He’s been head and shoulders above many of his teammates in recent games. Therefore, it’s clear that he’s now up to scratch and ready to go when Lenny selects him.
Kennedy’s comments also prove that the coaching staff are big fans of him too. He’s really given Mo a glowing review here, and supporters are entitled to be impressed by his traits.
What it likely means is that he also plays on Saturday at home to Ross County. The Celtic View, during Kennedy’s interview, stated that he was likely to play a big part against Lazio on Thursday night. Considering he didn’t feature for Norway during the international break, it would be wise to get him more minutes against County.
But it looks as though we don’t have to worry anymore about him building up his fitness. He’s pretty much there going by Kennedy’s words.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
