Celtic haven’t conceded from open play in over a month and a large part of why that is the case is down to Maik Nawrocki.
The 22-year-old has finally started to deliver on the promise that warranted Brendan Rodgers signing him for £4.3 million last summer.
Coming in from the cold in the Hoops’ 2-1 victory over Rangers last month, Nawrocki has since featured against St Mirren and Buckie Thistle, proving to be a solid presence within his side’s rearguard [Transfermarkt].
In the early days of his career at Parkhead, the Polish defender suffered a hamstring injury away to Kilmarnock in the final seconds of Celtic’s elimination in the League Cup and was unable to be registered for this term’s UEFA Champions League squad.
Recovering well, his time has finally come and with Nat Phillips no longer at the club, he will have plenty of chances to stake a claim across the second half of 2023/24.
Celtic’s Maik Nawrocki says artificial pitch contributed to injury
Nawrocki’s injury coupled with a period of absence from matchday squads over his took him out of the equation at Celtic for over four months.
Now, he is fit and can tell the tale of the impact early setbacks had on his career at Parkhead. In an honest interview, the Bremen-born defender admitted Kilmarnock’s artificial surface had a part to play.
He stated [Daily Record]: “It was a normal hamstring injury. I shot the ball and then felt it right away. I just didn’t know how long it would be before I would be able to play again, how big or small the injury was. Unfortunately it was a bigger one.”
Referring to the cause of his hamstring issue, Nawrocki then went on to add: “Yeah, I think there were quite a few things. The surface was not the best.
“We played 98 minutes or something and it happened in the final seconds. But these are the things that can happen. I don’t think too much about the past and just focus on the future.”
Maik Nawrocki keen to look to the future with Celtic
Finally, Celtic look to have a semblence of a settled defence after having to endure some rather worrying injury issues in the early portion of the campaign.
Nawrocki will be hoping to unseat one of either Liam Scales or Cameron Carter-Vickers at the club long-term and has made encouraging strides when selected.
In his short time as a starter, the 22-year-old has been firing on all cylinders. As cited by Sofascore, the defender has made an average of 3.8 clearances, 1.8 interceptions and 1.5 successful challenges per fixture in the Scottish Premiership.
2024 is shaping up to be a big year for the Hoops and Nawrocki will hope to play a major part in Celtic’s quest for silverware.
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