Celtic Loanee Frustrated at ‘Minimal contact’ From Club Despite Eye-Catching Form

Celtic loanee Johnny Kenny is frustrated at the lack of contact from his parent club despite performing admirably for Shamrock Rovers this season.

The 21-year-old was signed permanently by the Hoops in January 2022 as a teenager but has never got a first-team opportunity.

He is set to return to Glasgow, though, near the end of 2024 after Rovers play out the remainder of their Europa Conference League matches.

On loan in his homeland this year, Kenny has caught the eye, scoring 12 goals and assisting three in 27 appearances.

Despite his impressive record, he has barely received contact from Celtic, not even from Professional Player Pathway Manager Darren O’Dea.

“It’s a message here and there from Darren O’Dea, that’s it, that’s all it is,” he said (Irish Independent).

“It’s hard to take. Last year, [the lack of contact was] fair enough because I wasn’t really performing. But this year, I think I have performed well and I have gotten minimal contact from them.

“But look, I’ll just keep going Game by Game and see where it takes me.

“I’m always hopeful of getting an opportunity [at Celtic], but it might be limited. It would be a dream to play over there, but we’ll wait and see.”

When he returns to Glasgow in a few weeks, Kenny will still have over a year and a half remaining on his Celtic contract.

The centre-forward could yet get an opportunity under Brendan Rodgers and emulate the pathway of his fellow countryman Liam Scales.

The defender’s Hoops career looked all but over until injuries gave him an opportunity. The 26-year-old has never looked back and is a regular in the Celtic lineup.

Kenny sees him as a key inspiration.

“The two of used to be in the ‘Bomb Squad’, that’s what we used to call it,” revealed Kenny.

“When we didn’t make the [Celtic] squad and we used to do running on the day of the Games.

“Now he’s the first name on the team-sheet, starting for Ireland and scored his international first goal against Finland.

“He’d be an inspiration. Now he’d say, ‘Look what happened to me’ and that there’ll be an opportunity for me at Celtic. When that comes, I’ll just have to take it.”

Scales didn’t get his first real Celtic opportunity until he was 24.

There is still time yet for Kenny to prove himself in Glasgow’s east end and make a positive impression on Rodgers when he returns from his latest loan.