'It's my dream to play for Celtic' - Hoops daft star reveals exactly when he's coming home after 'talks' with club
Johnny Kenny revealed January 3 is the day he's going back to Celtic to make his mark under Brendan Rodgers.
The Irish striker was recruited by Ange Postecoglou in January 2022 but has only ever been a peripheral figure, at best, as far as the Hoops first-team is concerned. He had an underwhelming loan spell at Queen's Park and had appeared close to being ushered out the door. But some stunning form for Shamrock Rovers, where he is on loan currently, has changed all that.
He's netted seven goals in eight games to start this season and no-one has scored more than his five in the Conference League. He'll get the chance to grab even more headlines with a glamour Euro clash with Chelsea this Thursday, after which he's set to return to Parkhead where he'll be assessed by Rodgers, who may see him as the elusive third striker to offer depth beyond Kyogo and Adam Idah.
READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE as Rangers and Celtic plus Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen eye signings
And he says January 3, the day after the Hoops play Rangers at Ibrox, is his big day. He said: “I spoke to Celtic. I’m returning to pre-season on January 3 and we’ll see where that takes us. It’s my dream to play for Celtic and hopefully I get that in January, time will tell. One hundred per cent, yeah. The goals in Europe are probably worth two or three in the league. I haven’t done myself any harm but it’s over now (after Chelsea) and come January 3, I need to impress at Celtic.
“It’s my dream to play for Celtic but I’ll take it from there. I have really enjoyed my football here (at Rovers), even last year when things weren’t going well.
“I’ll just enjoy the glamour tie next week and Christmas with my family and see what January brings. It’s up to me when I go back to take it a step further and hopefully get my chance.”
Kenny's return, and whether he impresses, could well influence Rodgers' plans in January. He's made it clear he wants a young striker to compete with his two main men up top, and had Rocco Vata earmarked for that role before he left for Watford. Kenny fits that mould, and his return to be assessed means that any move to sign a new striker will likely come later in the window, rather than early doors.
In any case, his current Shamrock manager Stephen Bradley will be losing a key man but wouldn't dream of standing in his way. He said: “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.”
Another Celtic-daft star Hoops fans would love to see return is a certain Kieran Tierney, and former Premier League striker Darren Bent admits he fears that his hopes of forcing his way back into Mikel Arteta's plans at Arsenal are all but over. The Spaniard had hinted that the Scotland defender would play a part in Wednesday's 3-0 win against Monaco in the Champions League, only for Tierney to watch the whole game from the bench while teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly picked ahead of him at left-back.
And talkSPORT pundit and Gooners fan Bent reckons the ex Celtic's star's time in North London is almost up. He said: "I almost fear a little bit now for Kieran Tierney. I really like Kieran Tierney, but unfortunately he can't stay fit. I think the last time he played a competitive game was in June for Scotland.
"Just being out for that amount of time, I think he's been sitting on the bench for Arsenal for the last five games. The fact that he's not played a minute would almost indicate that his time at Arsenal is coming to an end."
