Martin O’Neill has confirmed that Celtic’s Johnny Kenny won’t be fit for another three or four weeks.
The striker, who had an enjoyable loan spell at Bolton Wanderers in the second half of last season, had his momentum halted by a knee injury.
Kenny’s injury has also denied him the chance to play a part in Celtic’s pre-season, something which he had publicly set his sights on.
O’Neill has set the timeline for Celtic’s decision on whether or not Kenny will be sold this summer.
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The Parkhead boss said: “Johnny’s here at this minute.
“He’s got another three or four weeks before he’s fit. Like everything else, you’re waiting around for things to happen.
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“I think Johnny did very, very well at Bolton. I think that Bolton were very impressed with him, I must admit.
“I will see when we get people into the football club, then we’ll have a wee look to see where we are.
“He looks as if he’s got stronger looking as well too in his time away.”
Speaking to the Daily Record in April, Kenny has already set his sights on a 20-goal season at Celtic.
He said: “I think at Celtic, you get so many opportunities that I’d expect myself to get in and around that margin.
“You see Benjamin Nygren from midfield this year, he’s scored more than 20 in all competitions and I think there’s definitely an opportunity to do that.
“I think at every big club, there are two or three massive players in each position.
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“Everywhere you go, there’s going to be something big, especially at Celtic, where we’re hopefully fighting in the Champions League and all the fronts in Scotland too. So I relish the challenge.
“It’s a big summer for me, I think. I really enjoyed the first six months of the season there and obviously had a poor few performances near the end where I missed chances but I have massive aspirations to go back to Celtic and to get back in there.
“Obviously, the manager is unknown at this moment in time, so I think it’s a fresh start for everyone once the manager is appointed and I’m really looking forward to it.
“Do I have a point to prove? A point to prove for myself, maybe, yeah, because I know the chances I can score.
“There were just a few rough games, but I’ve probably proved myself that I’m good enough to play for the club on a week-in, week-out basis.
“I was there the other weekend when they clinched the title against Hearts and the feeling around the place…
“I don’t think there’s a better club in the world to play for. The atmosphere, the fans, everything about the club… there’s just some sort of fairytale to it.”
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