Celtic’s Maik Nawrocki has his first goal on loan at Hannover 96.
And he picked a great time to do it, sparking a late comeback with his headed goal against league leaders Schalke.
The goal came about from a Hannover penalty which was given away by ex-Rangers defender Nikola Katic. The spot-kick was saved by ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius, leading to the corner from which Nawrocki scored.
Schalke were 2-0 up at the time, and after Nawrocki halved the deficit, Hannover substitute Benedikt Pichler equalised in literally the final action of the game.
He’s now enjoying life on loan at Hannover…
Celtic’s Maik Nawrocki loving life on loan at Hannover
Aside from an injury which kept him out for six weeks, the 25-year-old is enjoying his time on loan in Germany, getting plenty of minutes.
Fifth-placed Hannover rank highest in the 2. Bundesliga for average possession under manager Christian Titz, for whom Nawrocki operates as the left-sided central defender in a 3-4-3.
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The late equaliser was an embarrassing moment for Schalke boss Miron Muslic – formerly in charge of Plymouth – who raised his fist in celebration expecting the final whistle to be blown just seconds earlier.
Nawrocki’s deal at Hannover includes an option to buy, and though the exact fee isn’t clear, it’s unlikely to be anywhere near the £4.3 million paid by Celtic for his services in 2023.
Born and raised in Germany but on the books of the Polish national team, Nawrocki is a product of the Werder Bremen academy, though he never made a senior appearance for the club.
He joined Legia Warsaw on loan in 2021, making the move permanent the next year. It was in his loan season when he caught the eye of Brendan Rodgers, impressing against his Leicester side in the Europa League group stage.
Despite this, he was used sparingly by Rodgers throughout his time in Glasgow.
The exact reason for this is a bit of a mystery. He is known to have struggled with fitness, but it seemed that the Hoops boss simply had more trust in Liam Scales, Stephen Welsh and Nat Phillips at various points in the season.
In total, he made just 12 starts across his two years in Glasgow before moving on his current loan.
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Celtic players out on loan
Nawrocki isn’t alone in the German second tier – fellow Rodgers outcast Shin Yamada is also on loan there, yet to score for relegation-threatened Prussia Munster.
The other of Celtic’s two J League signings from last summer, Hayato Inamura, is back playing regular football at FC Tokyo.
Luis Palma is desperate for his loan atLech Poznan to become permanent, though the club are said to be considering triggering his option to buy and selling him instantly in the summer to make a big profit.
Johnny Kenny was an impact sub for Bolton this weekend, whilst Stephen Welsh was ineligible for Motherwell in their defeat to Celtic on Saturday.
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