Summer signing Benjamin Nygren tops the goalscoring charts but continues to split opinion amongst the Parkhead faithful
Benjamin Nygren has enjoyed a prolific debut season(Image: SNS Group)
Celtic are still scrambling around for a 20-goal striker to rescue their season.
But it’s just as well they have a prolific scorer in the building already. He may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Benjamin Nygren has quietly played a pivotal role in keeping the Hoops in the title race – and fighting for a place in the Europa League knockouts.
The playmaker divides opinion among the green and white legions, but 19 goal contributions is a more than tidy return for a player who cost just £1.7million from Nordsjælland in the summer. Nygren added to his tally by netting his 13th goal of the campaign at Tynecastle on Sunday.
And with Celts still competing across three competitions, the enigmatic midfielder might well fancy his chances of hitting the eye-catching 20-goal benchmark.
He said: “I don’t know, difficult question to answer. Obviously I’m not a number nine so it’s not my main focus. I want to perform well and help the team. One of my strongest attributes as a player has always been to create chances. I always try to create chances for the team so we can win.”
Nygren’s stunning strike against Hearts was remarkably the Hoops’ first direct free-kick goal since David Turnbull in January 2021.
The Super Swede has scored with his right foot, left foot and head this season – and revealed he’s always fancied himself as a deadball specialist.
He said: “Yeah, for sure. It’s something I’ve been working on since I was a kid. I think I have a good, strong free kick.”
Nygren immediately raced to the Celtic technical area to celebrate with the backroom staff, but added: “It was just the heat of the moment. I was happy for the whole team and I just ran in that direction and I wanted to celebrate with the whole team.”
A 2-2 draw against the league leaders didn’t exactly do the flailing champions any favours, with Celtic slipping into third as Rangers leapfrogged them in the Premiership table.
With so much pressure riding on the remaining 15 league fixtures, the Europa League could come as a welcome distraction for Martin O’Neill’s depleted troops.
The task is simple on Thursday. A victory against a crisis-hit Utrecht side – already eliminated and with just one point on the board – will see Celtic through to the knockout play-offs. A draw would leave them needing a helping hand from elsewhere, while defeat would be game, set and match for their continental adventure.
While some fans have put all their eggs into the title-race basket, Nygren is determined to make amends for Celtic’s shocking Champions League exit by going deep into Europe’s second-tier competition.
Ben Nygren speaks to the press(Image: PA)
He said: “I think we have focus on game by game. That’s it. We want to do well in every competition we’re in. We’re looking forward to the game. Obviously it’s a very important game and we need to do well to go through.
“We know if we win the game we go through. It’s pretty simple. It’s a massive club and a massive club should be able to do well in more competitions than just the league.
“We would be very happy to really go through. Everyone knows it hasn’t been as we’ve all wanted. Of course, we wanted to play in the biggest competition, but we can still make a lot out of this season. It’s a very important game.”
Like most players, Nygren admits European football was one of the major factors behind his decision to join the club in the summer.
He said: “Yeah, I said it before I came here. I think Celtic have everything. First of all, it’s a massive and honourable club. Almost everyone in the world knows about Celtic. They’ve been doing so good for so many years. Like I said, a massive club should do well in many competitions.”
Veteran gaffer O’Neill is expected to lean on his tried and trusted again, even though Celtic are running on fumes after back-to-back games played with ten men.
The Hoops defended heroically in Bologna last week to grind out a point after Reo Hatate’s dismissal, before finding themselves under the cosh again in Gorgie when Auston Trusty was sent off just three days later.
While it was a backs-to-the-wall display in Italy, Nygren knows tonight will be a very different proposition, with Celtic expected to come out all guns blazing.
He said: “Yeah, obviously it’s a different game. Unfortunately, we had to play with 10 men for 70 minutes or something. We did well before that and we scored a 2-0 goal. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win that game.
“We were still happy with the draw because we had to run so much. We did a strong defensive performance even though we had 10 men. It’s a strong side, but Thursday is a different game. We play at home and we have to win, so we will be on the front foot to make a strong performance.”
Celtic have once again found themselves chasing their tail in the transfer market, with O’Neill desperate to add at least two new faces before the February 2 deadline. But regardless of what business is done, Nygren is confident there is enough quality already in the dressing room to go far in Europe.
He said: “Yeah, I think so. Obviously we’ll have to take it game by game. I cannot sit here and talk about that we should go far in the tournament because we have to win to first go through. That’s our focus now. I think if we go through we have the quality in the squad to do well.”
Nygren stopped short of making any bold predictions when asked if Celtic can lift the trophy in Istanbul come May.
He added: “That’s too soon to answer, but we take it game by game. I think if we go through, we can still go far in the competition.”