In a sense, it is probably not a bad thing for Johnny Kenny that he has been largely limited to the roles of Camée since his return to Celtic at the turn of the year.
The Irish striker’s season actually started on February 23 of last year when he passed at the Tolka park in Shelbourne in the colors of his Shamrock Rovers loan club.
While Celtic ended after winning last summer, Kenny’s season was in full swing.
Interested in League of Ireland matches, he played Champions League Champions League and Sparta Prague.
There was then a blizzard of conference league matches against stellar names, notably Vienna and Chelsea fast.
All in all, he made 36 appearances for the team of Stephen Bradley, marking 20 times. And all this before returning to Lennofxtown in December and being invited to show what he could do in the second half of the Celtic season.
Johnny Kenny savor the acclaim of the itinerant Celtic support after his objective in Pittodrie
Young Irishman Kenny Hoche heads the fourth goal of a night when Aberdeen was upgraded
Kenny made his first departure for Celtic and it was clear that there will be many other appearances to come
Aware of the need to manage his workload, Brendan Rodgers wrapped Kenny in cotton.
In the eight games encompassing his debut against Dundee and the match of last weekend with Hibs, he received a total of 66 minutes from the bench.
There were lightnings of promises, but that would force Rodgers to give him a chance to play from the start for any observer to make an appropriate assessment of his capacities.
After playing for 70 minutes and marked in the complete Celtic victory against Aberdeen, we can say with a certain certainty that his first departure will not be the last. There is a first touch, a rhythm and a game intelligence assured in its impressive package.
Signed by Sligo Rovers on a five -year contract in 2022, Kenny was never going to be a night success in Parkhead.
He played for Celtic team B, then was ready for Queen’s Park. He won a title after moving to Rovers for their 2023 season, but he has always been tried too early for him to make a place with his parent club.
A second loan agreement with the Bradley team was organized and turned out to be mutually beneficial. With Kenny on board, Rovers has become the first team of the Ireland League to qualify for the Channel with direct elimination of a European competition. The experience he acquired in Dublin transformed it into a viable option for Rodgers.
A spectacular diving head in Pittodrie to claim the fourth of the Celtic night could well prove to be the first of many.
Brendan Rodgers was delighted with the patience shown by Kenny before trying his luck
Kenny had to wait for his time while Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah played as an attacker
Maik Nawrocki, less spotted, was also on the match sheet in the rout 5-1
“He entered and was obviously limited in his opportunities, but that did not stop him,” said Rodgers.
“He worked so hard every day and it was just a matter of timing, really. It was a question of giving him the opportunity and he seized it.
“It was a fantastic goal. His movement was really good. So that gave him enormous confidence.
“I love him as a player. He obviously came to Celtic earlier, left, had some experience.
“He grew up in the past few months that we had it from January. It has become stronger.
“Its movement is really good and it is a natural scorer of 25 meters.
“He can get the goal he did tonight and is good with his left foot and his right foot. I’m so happy for him.
“A young guy from Ireland, playing for Celtic then scoring your first goal in Pittodrie was incredible for him.”
The sky could be the limit of Johnny Kenny if his first appearance was something to pass
Aberdeen could not do little to prevent the Irish from scoring the fourth goal in a 5-1 hammering
A night when Maik Nawrocki also scored his first goal for the club with a downstream header, the fringed players of Rodgers gave it substantial reflection food.
Another wave of players from the academy who is now hitting the door, the 17 -year -old midfielder Sean Mcardle also drew attention after receiving the last nine minutes.
A delicious pass opened the defense of donations just before Adam Idah won her 20th goal of the season.
Sifting an impressive start of the bench against Hibs, Mcardle obviously wins the confidence of his manager.
“I loved him when he came,” added Rodgers.
“I like young players. Any Celtic player must have personality.
“And you might see at 17, he enters the game, he gets the ball, he passes it.
“He also has a small edge for him that I like. And he plays a pretty little one at the corner of the street, which leads to Adam’s goal.
“And this is the personality you need to play for Celtic. So, yes, I was really happy for Sean.
