Celtic have several loanees out trying to impress Brendan Rodgers and Johnny Kenny has certainly done his best to make an impact at Shamrock Rovers.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international signed on for a second season in Tallaght and has since gone on to register 13 goals and three assists in 33 appearances across all competitions.
With Kenny’s contract at Celtic up in 2026, it remains to be seen if there is a long-term future for the former Sligo Rovers man at Parkhead.
Despite nine losses in 34 League of Ireland matches, Shamrock Rovers are still only two points off top spot in the Irish top-flight with two games remaining and may still claim the title if results fall their way.
Furthermore, the other Hoops are also in Europa Conference League action this term, which has formed part of a career milestone for Celtic loanee Kenny amid his participation in continental football proper for the first time. With two games gone, he has now achieved another landmark feat.
Celtic loanee Johnny Kenny scores in European tie
With the Europa Conference League draw throwing up some intriguing ties, Shamrock Rovers’ tie against Larne last night had a lot of eyes on events at Windsor Park for obvious reasons.
Starting the affair, Kenny scored in a 4-1 victory for the visitors from close range, latching on to a pinpoint cross from Graham Burke to send Stephen Bradley’s men into a 2-0 lead that can be seen as per Celtic Youth & Loan Updates via X.
Albeit he could hardly miss, the talented striker now has his first goal on the full European stage and continues to make progress back in his homeland.
While he remains in Dublin for now, it will be intriguing to see if Brendan Rodgers has plans for him moving forward at Celtic.
Celtic’s potential for a third striker option
Previously on 67 Hail Hail, we spoke about Kenny’s potential to be a third-man striking option for Celtic after Rodgers mentioned it was an area he would like to address in the summer.
Having also expanded on the fact a different attacking profile could come from within the club, the Irishman appears to be a strong future candidate after hitting double figures out on loan at Shamrock Rovers.
Bringing in someone from the market to deputise behind Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah may be a tough sell, with the pair mentioned likely to eat up game-time between them when evaluating the immediate future.
Nevertheless, Kenny is someone worth thinking about for Celtic, should all parties conclude that he is best served staying at the club long-term.
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