Brendan Rodgers development for players in both Celtic spells has been unrivalled. Nicolas Kuhn is fast becoming another player added to that length list…

Nicolas Kuhn celebrates with Paulo Bernardo, Arne Engels & Adam Idah after scoring to give Celtic a 4-2 lead. Celtic v Falkirk, Premier Sports Cup, Quarter Final, Celtic Park, 22 Sep 2024. Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

The German changed the game when he came on against Falkirk on Sunday providing two goals and two assists in a 14 minute period. It was a perfect depiction of his start to the campaign. He has been a livewire, creating goals and crucially, scoring a few himself.

He matched his goal contributions for last season in that quickfire 15 minutes. That is now 11 goals and assists for the season, and we are only in September.

Matt O’Riley, who Brendan Rodgers transformed into a £30m footballer, racked up 38 goal contributions for the Hoops last season. That void had to be filled with creative play coming from elsewhere.

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Celtic v Falkirk – Nicolas Kuhn left celebrates scoring their side s fourth goal of the game with team-mate Adam Idah during the Premier Sports Cup match at Celtic Park on Sunday September 22, 2024. Photo Andrew Milligan

Kuhn, like many others, has stepped up to the plate and is producing an assist on average every 44 minutes.

His eye-catching displays in pre-season matches against Chelsea and Manchester City set the tone for performances to come. Initially struggling to settle in after signing from Rapid Wien in January, a dental issue sidelined him for a few weeks which added to a disrupted start. However, a full pre-season under his belt and tactical tweaks to his game from the manager has brought his performance level on ten-fold all in the space of eight months.

Nicolas Kuhn is congratulated by Arne Engels as he celebrates scoring his second goal of the game to give Celtic a 5-2 lead. Celtic v Falkirk, Premier Sports Cup, Celtic Park, 22 September 2024 Photo Stuart Wallace – Shutterstock

There were many doubters among the Celtic support regarding the winger, myself included, but the tenacity and hunger shown by Kuhn at the start of this campaign has been refreshing. He has become an entertainer on the ball, tricky and difficult for opponents to deal with. His dynamic, pacey play was too much to handle for Slovan Bratislava.

Next week against Borussia Dortmund will be a chance for Kuhn to go impress in his homeland and lay another marker down in the Champions League. Celtic’s opponents will be fearful of his technical skill that will undoubtedly cause Nuri Sahin’s side countless problems.

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Celtic v Falkirk – Premier Sports Cup – Quarter-Final – Yang, Nicolas Kuhn and Paulo Bernardo after the Premier Sports Cup, quarter-final match at Celtic Park on Sunday September 22, 2024. Photo Andrew Milligan

Post-match against Falkirk, Rodgers had nothing but praise for Kuhn’s excellent start to the season, “You have got to give immense credit to the player. In terms of recruitment, we want to bring in players who are close to what it is we want to do and then our job is to develop them.”

Rodgers continued, “he is developing really well. He is scoring goals, creating them, and what has been really good is his pressing element. Overall, two goals and two assists, he had a great impact.”

Conor Spence