It seems like new Celtic recruit Jonathan Afolabi will play predominately as a striker after his international boss gave a fascinating insight into what Hoops fans can expect.
Republic of Ireland under-19 head coach Tom Mohan gave a glowing endorsement of the youngster in a fascinating interview with the Herald.
Many felt Celtic had signed another winger when Afolabi put pen to paper. However, Mohan’s comments have put that notion firmly to bed.
“He has all the attributes you would associate with the best centre-forwards,” he said. “He’s big, strong, he holds the ball up well, and he isn’t afraid to run at people. He’s positive and he scores goals.
“Everybody looks at him and sees he is a big, strong fella, but there is much more to his game than just power and pace. He’s got a great touch too. He has even shown in the past that he is comfortable playing out wide.
“It can be dangerous to say who is going to do what in the game. The big test is playing senior football and playing against men, and that’s the next challenge for Johnny. He realises that.
“It’s all down to the player, we’re dealing with potential at the moment, but he’s definitely got the attributes to go far.”
Afolabi could get Celtic opportunities this season
It sounds like Afolabi shares a lot of similar traits to current Hoops frontman Odsonne Edouard. The Frenchman would most definitely be regarded as a striker with a strong presence, but he can turn and run at players as well as working the channels.
Despite being only two years younger, Afolabi could definitely learn from Edouard. The forward has been a terrific asset for Celtic over the past couple of seasons and is now starting to look like a real top talent after joining as a raw project.
Irishman Afolabi may not be too far away from a first team opportunity either. Lennon describes him as “one that’s a development” after he signed but also said he was “on the cusp” of the first-team.
Much like his international teammate Luca Connell he could see a fair bit of game time as the season wears on.
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