One Celtic Player Deserves Bigger Role Next Season

Celtic's recent 5-1 victory over Aberdeen gave fans and Brendan Rodgers a good look at their future. With players such as Johnny Kenny, Viljami Sinisalo, Maik Nawrocki, and Hyun-jun Yang among the starters, and then Sean McArdle coming on as a substitute.

In this matchup, we would see the first professional goal in Celtic colours for Kenny, on a masterful header that got past the goalkeeper. The assist by Luke McCowan was also exceptional, crossing the ball into the box from the left and putting it right in a position where the young centre-forward could get to it.

The future of the forward and winger groups is somewhat in question for the Hoops, as there is a rather lack of depth at both positions. Jota is out with injury, and Nicolas Kuhn could be headed for the exit door if the club decide to move on from him.

That leaves a relatively depleted unit, and while Daizen Maeda on the wing and Adam Idah at centre-forward is not a terrible pairing, it leaves room for improvement and additional pieces surrounding them.

Johnny Kenny has more than proven himself while out on loan and when turning out for the B Team. So, should he get more playing time next season?

Should Celtic Look to Use Johnny Kenny More Often in the Near Future?

Factoring Kenny into the lineup long-term is an easy decision given that his experience lies solely as a striker. Idah, on the other hand, is predominantly a centre-forward, but has some experience on both wings as well, which means he could be utilised in rotation at the front, and then swapped to the wing in other instances if the game situation calls for it.

Celtic will no doubt look to add to this unit, especially if they look to move on Kuhn in the summer, but finding young talent from within the club would make it easier to spend the money elsewhere and fill needs across the lineup.

Kenny has shown flashes of high-level talent already in his nine appearances at the senior level for Celtic, with a goal and an assist in 171 minutes played. And as he continues to develop, it would be worth giving him a more substantial role this upcoming season to see how it translates to the SPFL.