news-engine

Johnny Kenny is set to remain at Celtic this season after Shaun Maloney confirmed the striker is part of Martin O’Neill’s plans. The Irish forward attracted plenty of attention during his loan spell at Bolton Wanderers last season, scoring six goals and playing an important role as the club secured promotion to the Championship. Bolton were keen to bring Kenny back, having initially tried to sign him last summer before Celtic opted to keep the striker. They eventually got their man on loan in January, but financial complications made a permanent return difficult this summer. And while Kenny’s omission from Celtic’s recently released squad-number graphic appeared to fuel further speculation over his future, Maloney has now cleared that up. Speaking to the Daily Record, the Celtic assistant manager confirmed Kenny is staying. “At the moment, yeah. I think he spoke to Martin and he’s staying. He’s part of the squad. “I think there was something online about the squad number, that was incorrect. “So, yeah, Johnny’s part of the squad. I’d say he’s just about fit now. He hasn’t been fit during pre-season. “He’s one of ours and he’s fighting to get minutes on the pitch.” Celtic’s attacking options have been significantly strengthened this summer with the arrival of club-record signing Kasper Høgh and Camilo Duran, while Callum Osmand has also made a strong impression since breaking into the first-team picture. That means Kenny faces serious competition for minutes. But Celtic clearly still see value in keeping him around. His spell at Bolton demonstrated that he can make an impact at senior level, and at just 23, there is still plenty of scope for him to develop further. There was interest from clubs in England this summer, while Bolton were hopeful of finding a way to bring him back after his successful loan spell. “At the moment”, though, Kenny’s future is in Glasgow. The striker has been given another opportunity to fight for his place under O’Neill – and with a long season ahead, he could yet play a bigger role than many expected.