The Athletic's Celtic correspondent Kieran Devlin has refused to rule out the possibility of Johnny Kenny breaking into the first team before the end of the campaign.
The Lowdown: Kenny arrival
The Hoops pipped Hibernian to Kenny’s services earlier this month, with the 18-year-old joining from Sligo Rovers in a deal worth £135,000.
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Hailed as ‘really important’ by Sligo manager Liam Buckley, Kenny scored 12 times in 34 senior appearances for his former club before penning a five-year deal at Celtic Park.
Celtic didn’t specify where Kenny would initially feature when announcing the transfer, although he is yet to make a matchday squad under Ange Postecoglou.
The Latest: Devlin’s claim
Devlin ran a Q&A on The Athletic for Celtic’s Scottish Cup game with Alloa on Saturday and was asked by one supporter before the match if Kenny could break into Postecoglou’s first-team plans or if he was mainly for the club’s B team.
The journalist didn’t rule out a possible breakthrough for the teenager before the end of the season, saying: “I understand he was signed first and foremost for the Bs, but who knows what the season holds further down the line. Depends how well he trains.”
The Verdict: Interesting…
Kenny already has a proven goalscoring record at senior level, albeit in the League of Ireland, so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he were making the matchday squad before the season comes to an end.
Should Albian Ajeti leave the club before the month is out, as is expected, Kenny would be one of just two out-and-out centre-forwards at the club alongside Georgios Giakoumakis.
The Hoops have also had terrible luck with injuries this season, with star forward Kyogo Furuhashi currently out, so if Kenny stays fit and firing for the B team, then he may well get his chance under Postecoglou in the next few months.
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