Copyright scotsman
Celtic striker Johnny Kenny has paid tribute to Brendan Rodgers by revealing that the now departed manager ‘changed his life’. Rodgers resigned as Celtic boss on Monday following a major fall-out with principal shareholder Dermot Desmond and the board of directors. Celtic have placed former boss Martin O’Neill in charge on an interim basis while they search for a permanent successor and the 73-year-old was in the Parkhead dugout on Wednesday as Celtic claimed a 4-0 win over Falkirk, with Kenny netting a first-half brace. Reflecting on the departure of the manager who signed him for Celtic, Kenny said: “Tuesday was obviously a hectic day. It was disappointing. Since I’ve been here, it’s always been Brendan. “It was tough. It’s the first time I’ve lost a manager in my career, so it was strange around the training ground. We knew we had to come together and get a good result. “Brendan changed my life and changed my career. I’ll be forever grateful for that. But obviously he’s gone now and we just need to battle on.” Kenny is now hoping to be Celtic’s next Hampden hero in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Rangers. The 22-year-old signed from Sligo Rovers in January 2022 and has had loan spells at Queen’s Park and Shamrock Rovers but has recently been given his chance due to injuries to Daizen Maeda and Kelechi Iheanacho. Maeda returned to action as a second-half substitute against the Bairns but Kenny will be looking to lead the line against the Light Blues and he recalled fellow Irishman Adam Idah’s last-gasp winner against Rangers in the 2024 Scottish Cup final as he acknowledged the possibilities available to him at the national stadium. He said: “It’s probably the biggest fixture in world football and (it can create) heroes. “A few years ago Adam Idah came in and scored a big goal against them in the Scottish Cup final. Hopefully I can replicate something like that. “It would put us into another final and it’s against our rivals. People will say we haven’t been great in the last few weeks and this can be a statement victory come Sunday. “It’s a massive game and it would be a marker put down by us to get into another cup final.” Wednesday’s goals were Kenny’s second and third of the season after scoring in the 3-0 win over Livingston in August. The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international appreciated the importance of the first-half double, added to after the break by midfielder Benjamin Nygren and wideman Sebastian Tounekti, as the Hoops moved within six points of Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts. He said: “Having got the goals the other night, hopefully it can spur me on. It’s massive. I don’t think anyone knows what it means. “You don’t want to go on not scoring. Hopefully I can take this into Sunday. It would be one of the biggest games of my career, to start a Glasgow derby in a semi-final of a cup. So, hopefully. “Every player is desperate to be on the team sheet every week and it’s no different for me. I just need to keep my head down and keep working hard and hopefully deliver on the pitch. “I don’t think there’s a hurry. I needed to stay patient and learn every day. That’s what I’ve been trying to do, staying calm on the pitch and delivering performances.”
