Kyogo Furuhashi’s recent exit from Celtic has brought up the topic of, who has been the best since Henrik Larsson.
The man from Japan can stake a claim that he sits second behind the King, but no-one will ever better what Larsson did for Celtic.
Even though Celtic have dominated domestically for over a decade now, that team under Martin O’Neill was as ruthless as any team in the history of Scottish football and they had the trophies, including a famous Treble, to boast for it.
Larsson was at the heart of it, scoring a staggering 242 goals from 315 matches, and he will forever be adored by the Celtic faithful, as his career path post-Glasgow led him towards two more famous clubs – Barcelona and Manchester United.
The spell at Old Trafford in 2007 was a short one, but it was one that, unsurprisingly, got him plaudits and is even still recognised to this day.
When talking about January signings and the impact they can have, Paul Scholes brought up Larsson joining Manchester United during the winter transfer window.
Paul Scholes hails Henrik Larsson’s impact at Manchester United
Larsson moved to Manchester United in 2007 – on a loan deal until the end of the campaign – and even though Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to extend his stay, he kept his promise of returning to Helsingborgs.
Scholes shared that the Swedish star had a ‘real impact’ on the club when they were ‘struggling’ in the forward areas, as he told the Overlap.
The legendary midfielder also explained how he could tell in training why Larsson did what he did at Celtic and other clubs he played for.
“I think, as far as January signings, good or bad, I always think of the Patrice Evra one,” said Scholes. “At the time, he didn’t look great. I think Manchester City was his debut and he had an absolute nightmare (hooked off at half-time).
“I can’t remember if Henrik Larsson was in the January window as well. I know he didn’t score loads of goals, but he had a real impact because we were struggling at centre-forward.
“In training, especially, phowww. When you see a forward, you think, okay he was coming towards the end of his career a little bit, but you think ‘how good he must have been five or six years ago and what he did at Celtic and other clubs’.”
Celtic fans will love what Sir Alex Ferguson said about Larsson
Ironically enough, Larsson’s first goal for Manchester United came in the FA Cup against Aston Villa – none other than, Martin O’Neill was in the other dugout.
On paper, he played very little for the English giants, but he left a lasting legacy that even gained the respect of Alex Ferguson.
After Larsson’s exit in 2007, Ferguson spoke about the respect he had for Larsson and how he even tried to sign him when he was at Celtic, as quoted by Sportskeeda.
“I have always admired him. I made a move for him when he was at Celtic but then they managed to persuade him to stay. He is a great player. It is a terrific bit of business for us.
He’s been fantastic for us, his professionalism, his attitude, everything he’s done has been excellent. We would love him to stay but, obviously, he has made his promise to his family and Helsingborg and I think we should respect that but I would’ve done anything to keep him.”
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