It was great to see Brendan Rodgers hand starts to several bench players for Celtic’s trip to Pittodrie on Wednesday night, including youngster Johnny Kenny.
This was a dress rehearsal for Celtic’s Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen on May 24, as the champions push for the Treble, and ultimate domestic glory.
If Celtic’s 5-1 win over Aberdeen is anything to go by, then they should more than do the job at Hampden against Jimmy Thelin’s men.
As Chris Sutton put it, this was Celtic’s reserve team in action, yet they tore apart and dismantled a helpless Aberdeen side trying to push for third place in the Premiership table.
One of the stories of the night was Kenny scoring his first goal for Celtic, after being handed his first start, with Adam Idah on the bench, and Daizen Maeda absent with a knock.
One man who has seen Kenny up close and personal is former Hoops star Jonny Hayes, who is part of the club’s academy.
Johnny Kenny in Celtic training
It’s going to be interesting to see what type of role Kenny plays at Celtic Park next season, especially with a striker expected to be signed in the summer.
But, as of this moment, Kenny is rising through the ranks, and Hayes doesn’t have any doubt that his qualities are worthy of playing on the big stage.
Hayes spoke about what Kenny is like in training, including the ‘really good’ finishing he shows off, as well as being a ‘firework’ in and around the box, as he told Sky Sports Football (14/05/25).
“Yeah, (I have watched him in training), he has come back from a really good loan spell,” said Hayes. “In any other circumstances, you might expect him to have a bit more game time.
“But the form, not just of the strikers, but Daizen going through the middle as well. Kyogo before. He has found his opportunities really difficult, and that happens at top clubs.
“I have seen him training. He works hard in training. As the manager touched upon, he is a really good finisher. Really good movement. And he will be relishing this chance.
“He is a bit of a combination, in terms of being a really good finisher. A bit raw because he is young. He is excitable. Almost like a firework in and around the box. He will make non-stop runs. If Celtic dominate a game, and he is on the last line, I think that’s where he comes alive.
“To be honest, I know he is young. But he has played at a decent level in Europe. He has scored some really good goals. I wouldn’t have any doubts about him playing for Celtic, at this moment in time.”
Kenny’s stats for Celtic against Aberdeen
Kenny will be well aware that Maeda is ahead of him, as well as Idah, and probably the striker Celtic sign in the summer.
But all the young Irish star can do is talk on the field of play, and he did that in the best way possible against a strong Aberdeen side.
WhoScored rated Kenny’s performance at a very healthy and impressive 7.87.
| Shots | Goals | Aerials Won | Touches | Rating |
| 5 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 7.87 |
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