Celtic striker Johnny Kenny has shared a secret story about Martin O’Neill when he was the boss at Republic of Ireland, and he’s only shared it with Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham.
Kenny is currently on loan from Celtic at Bolton and is enjoying a fruitful spell at the English League One promotion chasers.
However, Kenny takes us back to his youth days and the time he met O’Neill at a football summer camp when the current Celtic boss was the Republic of Ireland manager.
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Does Johnny Kenny have a long-term future at Celtic?
Johnny Kenny had ‘a good laugh’ telling Celtic duo Maloney and Fotheringham about O’Neill
The young Irish striker signed his first professional contract with Sligo Rovers in 2021, but it was when Kenny was a kid, that he shared the time he met O’Neill in a nice throwback moment from his past.
Kenny told The Sligo Champion, “I actually have a photo from that summer camp when Martin visited. I never knew that one day I’d go on to score goals under him.
“I was young and he was Ireland manager at the time. You never know where football can take you. I have never said it to Martin but I told Shaun Maloney [Celtic assistant] and Mark Fotheringham [coach] and we had a good laugh. You never know what can happen.
“I think my younger self would be in awe now. When you are going to those camps when you’re younger, to think that one day I’d go on to be an Irish international, it’s incredible.”
Martin O’Neill’s classy Johnny Kenny Ireland ambition
Kenny was allowed to leave Celtic this January to go and get first-team football at Bolton as the Hoops star wanted to try and make the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup squad.
And Kenny has shared how O’Neill’s ‘love’ of the country helped facilitate the move. The temporary Bolton man said, “When I spoke with Martin, he said he wouldn’t stand in my way of hopefully going to a World Cup. Martin loves Ireland too.
“When we won in Budapest we actually spoke about it [O’Neill being in charge at Euro 2016]. He’d love to see us go there in the summer.
“I’m sure Martin would probably travel himself. Two weeks ago he turned 74 and he still has the most energy out of everyone. He’s lauded up there.”
Hopefully Kenny will do enough to secure his place in the World Cup squad, but does he have it in his locker to become a regular first-team pick for Celtic?
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