Celtic’s plans for Johnny Kenny are starting to become clearer amid his excellent loan spell at Shamrock Rovers.
Earlier this month, reports suggested that Brendan Rodgers is set to offer Johnny Kenny a Celtic opportunity as his goalscoring form in Ireland continues to generate attention.
The 21-year-old has hit 20 goals for Shamrock Rovers across all competitions, and is tied with Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku and Afimico Pululu at the top of the Europa Conference League scoring charts.
The League of Ireland outfit sealed progression in the competition this week. Kenny scored a double against Borac as Tallaght Stadium paid witness to yet another historic occasion in Dublin, including an excellent dink for his second.
Excitement is in the air over his potential at Celtic, but what does Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley have to say on the future of his star striker?
Stephen Bradley on discussions over Johnny Kenny future
Addressing Kenny’s future as his loan spell at Shamrock Rovers draws to a close, Bradley has revealed he is involved in frequent ‘discussions’ over what comes next for the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international.
He said when asked if Kenny has played himself out of an extended stay in Tallaght [Irish Independent]: “It means Johnny has done well. That’s good, that’s healthy. We’re helping him do well.
What the future will be, will be. I’m having discussions all the time myself with Johnny, I’m quite clear where he is. We just have to enjoy what he’s doing this year, we’ve seen real maturity and someone grow before your eyes, it’s a pleasure to watch. There’s so much more to come from him.
“I think he can be a really top player, there’s still loads to come. Hopefully we’re the ones to help him get there. There will be changes, players will leave, players will come in.”
What Johnny Kenny has said about returning to Celtic
Speaking after his brace against Borac, Kenny confirmed he would be returning to Celtic after the duration of his loan spell at Shamrock Rovers.
He said: “I’m going to go back to Celtic and train to see where it takes us. But I just want to enjoy the occasion next week (against Chelsea).
“I think I’m a lot different going back, as you can see from this year. But to play for Celtic Football Club you have to go to another level and that’s what I have to do.”
Clearly, Kenny has proved that he can bring tangible quality in attack at a fairly decent level, but the task of being able to reproduce that at Celtic is undoubtedly a step up in calibre.
However, Brendan Rodgers is keen for a third striker to push Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah, and the Irishman could be the perfect candidate to fill that berth.
