Nicolas Kuhn is starting to make an impression at Celtic after a mixed opening few months in his time at Parkhead.
Billed as a ‘dynamic’ player with an ‘excellent level of quality’ by Brendan Rodgers upon arrival, the German winger played his part in the Bhoys’ double-winning exploits last term despite not always being a first pick due to complications thrown up by dental surgery.
Nevertheless, pre-season presented a chance for Kuhn to build up his match sharpness without being thrown into the mid-campaign chaos of a title race. Over the course of the Bhoys’ US tour, the former Rapid Vienna man illustrated his value on the right flank with a brace and assist against Manchester City.
Carrying an element of flamboyance to his play, he is the type of player to get fans off their seats when it all comes together, something he managed to follow up on yesterday in the Hoops’ 4-0 victory over Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.
Nicolas Kuhn delivers on pre-season hype
Pre-season hype can work both ways. Sometimes, it can spur you on to greater things, and on other occasions, it can set a barometer that becomes too difficult to fulfil.
At this stage, it appears Kuhn has taken the first option, at least if his performance against Kilmarnock yesterday was anything to go by.
Per Fotmob, he recorded a match rating of 8.3/10 for his display, scoring the third goal courtesy of a jinking run past several bodies that comprised one of his four shots taken across 63 minutes, where he maintained 100% accuracy in that respect.
He completed 18 out of his 27 passes, and put up a combined 1.34 in Expected Goals on target alongside having seven touches in the opposition box. Furthermore, Kuhn threaded three balls into the final third and delivered one successful cross, providing a notable threat from the right-hand side.
Defensively, the ex-Ajax youth won three duels, made one tackle and completed three ball recoveries, showing that he can do the dirty side of the game when called upon.
What comes next for Nicolas Kuhn at Celtic
By now, Celtic supporters are aware that Kuhn has the talent to become an important player at Parkhead; he needs to keep delivering in the hope that distractions will not get in the way.
Some judged him harshly last campaign when factoring in the impact of his dental surgery, but he now appears to be raring to go under Rodgers.
Conclusively, you couldn’t pinpoint a single individual at Celtic who has the right wing slot fully locked down. James Forrest springs to mind, though there is a long season ahead, and his minutes will need to be managed.
Kuhn has an opportunity now to make it his own. He has seven goal contributions in 19 appearances for the Bhoys so far, which isn’t terrible considering his bumpy start [Transfermarkt].
The spotlight is now on the former Germany Under-20 international. It has to be said, he passed his initial acid test with flying colours.
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