Brendan Rodgers lifts lid on Celtic wide man Nicolas Kuhn early troubles that saw him lose more than a stone
Despite having a rocky start to life in Scotland, the £3 million signing from Rapid Vienna displayed encouraging indications during the Scottish Cup victory.
One of Parkhead’s boards bears the famous Jock Stein quote about the Celtic jersey not fitting players of lesser caliber.
But Kuhn’s ability had nothing to do with the fact that the kit could have had a few more spins in the Parkhead tumble dryer for him. Brendan Rodgers, who signed a £3 million contract in January from Rapid Vienna, had to put on weight during his first few months in Scotland after suffering from a dental surgery that left him weak.
Kuhn didn’t have much to spare in January, unlike the rest of us, who could have used to transfer some of the winter insulation. The wide man was left feeling weak and dismissed by some as unfit to wear the shirt as a result. The 24-year-old’s manager, Aaron Rodgers, has not given up on the player and thinks he saw indications on Sunday that the former Ajax and Bayern Munich player will be valuable.
The 4-2 victory over Livingston had Kuhn playing like a brand-new man. It was evident he was a guy on a mission from the first minute when he despatched Christian Montano to the stores with a beautiful dummy.
With a brilliant run inside and a wonderful curling cross, the striker set up the first goal of Daizen Maeda’s hat trick. He also had a hand in the second goal and posed a continuous threat down the right flank.
Although Celtic supporters are always quick to pass judgment on new players, it appears that some of them may have dismissed the winger’s potential for the Hoops too quickly.
In the closing stretch, Rodgers believes Kuhn has finally found his footing and can help swing the odds in Celtic’s favor. To be fair to Nicolas, he was in the middle of a break when he initially arrived, and I believe he indicated that he had lost seven kilograms. I believe we had previously discussed this with regard to anyone who wasn’t working with him every day and noticing the change.
“Even at that small size, you can envision that. I believe he realized he had lost both his strength and his ability to sprint after dropping more than a stone. Nicolas is only now getting comfortable. You can tell that he performed well and was a little more upbeat, especially in the first half.
“I believe the cramp that forced him off at the end was just a minor one.” It’s clear that he hasn’t played as much. He gave it everything he had. He’s undoubtedly alright. Thus, the goal has been to strengthen him. He feels so good now, I think. There is still some work for him to accomplish.
However, I believe you observed a far more aggressive side to his play in one-on-one situations, where he took opponents on and found the ball for Daizen’s goal. Indeed, that is more in line with our preferences. It’s merely adjustment. He will undoubtedly advance in due course, but that was excellent.
Without a doubt, the child’s confidence was also damaged by the difficult start. His brief cameos made it evident that he lacked the enthusiastic demeanor that was initially expressed upon his arrival from Austria.
When presented with an option, Kuhn usually opted for the safe route. Furthermore, it frequently gave densely defended areas the opportunity to reorganize and stall attacks, giving the Hoops time to recover.
Against Livi, however, it was a different story as David Martindale’s backline was never able to relax. It’s all about the hard effort, Rodgers stated. Although confidence is there, it needs to be developed. These men are all excellent at the intensity and work pace of preparation, which is something you must do as well.
He is traveling to a nation where high expectations and intensity are present. Finding your rhythm after settling into that is the key. Some people are instant experts. For some people, it requires some time. He was far more aggressive on Sunday, as you witnessed, and he penetrated much more with his passes and one-on-ones. He posed a serious risk to us.
For the remaining portion of the season, Rodgers is hopeful Kuhn can be a bright new toy. However, he said after the game on Sunday that he enjoyed watching one of his old favorites struggle once more.
It is not surprising that Rodgers adores James Forrest. The suggestion that the club’s best winger is the evergreen ace could have been the bombshell he dropped in his post-match remarks. Most likely, it was sufficient to cause the moment guy to blush.
“I was probably happiest when James came on,” Aaron Rodgers stated. “We saw genuine quality in the game.” He was quite good. He’s the best winger we have, with the utmost respect.
Which may have raised the question of why Forrest has been using so little lately. The 32-year-old hasn’t been seen since December 23; nevertheless, a few minor injuries have recently prevented him from playing. This Sunday was his first appearance since then.
Rodgers is aware that Forrest isn’t nearly the same player he once was for 90 minutes every week.
However, that does not exclude him from playing a significant part in the upcoming weeks. “Sadly, age catches up with every player—or person, for that matter—says the supervisor.
However, he is still capable of adding something to the game. That lasted for twenty-five minutes on Sunday. You can see how good he is when our attacks are sustained and perhaps there aren’t as many running backs. He is an amazing player, and watching how he worked and kept the ball was enjoyable.
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