One of the positives from Celtic’s defeat to Hibernian on Sunday was Benjamin Nygren getting on the scoresheet again.
Despite Celtic as a team struggling for goals this season, the summer signing from FC Nordsjælland has found the back of the net with ease, just like he did in midweek against VfB Stuttgart in the Europa League, and then against Hibs.
Peter Lovenkrands watched Nygren during his days in Denmark, and he lauded the Sweden international as ‘quite impressive’ despite having his critics.
The former SPFL striker thinks Nygren has been ‘getting a lot of stick’ this season, but he came to the versatile forward’s defence.
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Peter Lovenkrands on watching Benjamin Nygren’s career amid Celtic goals
Speaking on BBC Sportscene, Lovenkrands didn’t argue that ‘you don’t see much’ of Nygren when he is playing in the middle of the park.
But he feels the Celtic man makes up for it with his ‘late runs’ into the box, and his ability to find the back of the net again and again.
Nygren’s header against Hibernian was his 18th strike of the season, and Lovenkrands thinks ‘he has been great’ for the champions of Scotland.
“He has been getting a lot of stick, sometimes,” said Lovenkrands. “I don’t think he has deserved most of it.
“Yeah, he has been one of those players who you don’t see as much. But 18 goals and six assists for Celtic this season. That’s quite impressive for a midfielder, and you’re not even at the split yet.
“He’s probably got more goals in him. He is always there. Late runs into the box. This is what he is so good at. He did this so much in Denmark when I watched him for Nordsjælland. He comes into the box, late runs into the box, and he’s a good finisher.
“That’s a header coming in (against Hibernian). He knows just to get the head on it. Get it into the ground.
“For me, he is getting a little too hard stick. I think he has been great.”
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Nygren’s stats for Celtic this season
The issue with Nygren isn’t the player himself, but what is around him. Celtic’s midfield has struggled, and the strikers can’t find the back of the net.
Then you have the wide players lacking potency, and the defence already conceding more this season than they did for the entire 2024/25 campaign.
You want more from Nygren, outside of his goals, but he isn’t a box-to-box midfielder, nor is he a player who runs the show from the middle of the park, so his performances are devalued when that shouldn’t be the case.
- Nygren’s games: 43
- Starts: 30
- Goals: 18
- Assists: 6
- Man of the Match: 4
- WhoScored rating for the 2025/26 Premiership season: 7.17
- WhoScored rating for the Europa League campaign: 6.83
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