Nicolas Kuhn still made his presence felt for Celtic against Motherwell despite starting the clash on the bench amid his selfless shift against Atalanta in the Champions League last midweek.
Keeping his feet on the ground, Brendan Rodgers admitted the ‘energy’ exerted by his squad in recent weeks will require squad rotation, which subsequently meant Nicolas Kuhn had to accept a watching brief until coming on to replace James Forrest on 67 minutes.
Despite having limited time to make an impact, the German winger set up Adam Idah for his third goal two minutes from time, going on the outside before cutting back a perfectly weighted ball for the Irishman to plunder home.
Continuing his incredible start, Kuhn now has six goals and nine assists in his opening 14 appearances for Celtic this campaign.
Recovering from his early difficulties at Parkhead, pundit Michael Stewart has pointed out where the former Rapid Vienna man has added a different dimension to his all-round game.
Michael Stewart discusses Nicolas Kuhn’s Celtic form
Speaking on Sportscene, Stewart has highlighted Kuhn’s ability to go on the outside rather than only cutting in-field as a major reason for his ‘improvement’ on the flank for Celtic.
He explained: “This is again, for me, where Kuhn has improved, to get to the byline. I keep going on about it; when you hit the byline, it changes the dynamic.
“The defence are troubled because they’re facing their own goal, that becomes the issue where it’s very difficult for them to see the ball and the opponent.
“Adam Idah makes a great run across the face of the defender and smashes it in the bottom of the net, it’s a very good result for Celtic.”
Nicolas Kuhn is in the Celtic star man conversation
Evaluating his start to the season, there is a conversation to be had over whether Kuhn is now in the bracket of being Celtic’s most reliable player, at least at this early stage.
Stat-trackers Fotmob show the Wunstorf-born man has created 20 chances on Scottish Premiership duty this campaign, alongside completing 15 successful dribbles, illustrating his intuitive nature.
Over the years, there have been others who probably take the title of being the best to depend on, but pound for pound, his numbers in 2024/25 have him at that table alongside the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Callum McGregor.
Looking to the long-term, it will be intriguing to see what type of figures Kuhn can conjure as he continues to enjoy a blinding run of performances.
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