Kelechi Iheanacho has dropped the biggest hint yet that he’s staying at Celtic for next season.
What had initially been a stop-start debut season for the striker ended with him as a fan favourite with five goals in his last eight games — all from the bench.
It’s a level of impact that the team could do with next season, and Iheanacho does seem to be loving his time in Glasgow.
However, with his short-term contract now expired, his future is yet to be decided ahead of a major rebuild next summer.
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Kelechi Iheanacho on Celtic: ‘My team’
Randomly on Monday evening, Iheanacho took to his Instagram story to post a picture of him and his teammates with the caption ‘My team’.
It certainly doesn’t indicate that he sees his Celtic career as over.
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The permanent appointment of Martin O’Neill also adds sense to the idea of Iheanacho; his role as a sub under the Irishman brought immense results.
As Celtic won all of their seven last matches to deliver a Scottish Premiership that had once looked unlikely, Iheanacho played a vital part.
He then topped it off with a goalscoring cameo in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden.
Iheanacho was brought in through the back door after the closure of the transfer window as a player with a pre-existing relationship with then-manager Brendan Rodgers.
Through no fault of his own, Iheanacho watched a chaotic first half of the season from the sidelines. From November to March, he started just one game, often not making matchday squads.
Fitness and managerial preferences were the causes of this.
Both Tomas Cvancara and Junior Adamu were brought in as reinforcements in the winter window, but neither had the desired impact, opening the door for Iheanacho to establish himself under O’Neill.
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Kelechi Iheanacho on loving life at Celtic
Speaking to Celtic TV last month, Iheanacho revealed: “I think I always loved Celtic, to be fair. I’ve followed them over the years.
“Here’s a little secret: I have loved James Forrest for a long, long time.
“When he was playing for Celtic, that is one player that I love in a Celtic jersey as well.
“Obviously there’s a young player that played here, Efe Ambrose. But yeah, Forrest was a player I loved watching when playing for Celtic.
“So it’s been a club I’ve been following for years, and I love the football club as well. So I’m happy I’m a big part of it now. So let’s see how it goes.”
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