Johan Mjallby believes Benjamin Nygren can achieve his dreams of playing in Europe with Celtic while also experiencing the passion of what he calls ‘the best supporters in the world”…
The 23-year-old winger from Nordsjaelland recently revealed that competing in the UEFA Champions League is one of his biggest ambitions.
Now, the former Celtic defender and assistant coach is certain that Nygren, who is close to joining the Scottish champions, can find motivation in Brendan Rodgers’ side’s European performances last season as proof that his own aspirations are well within reach.
In August, Rodgers’ men must navigate just one qualifying round to secure a spot in the Champions League for a fourth straight year – a milestone no previous Celtic squad has ever achieved.
Celtic made it to Europe’s elite club competition’s knockout stage last season, narrowly falling 3-2 on aggregate to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, but not before pushing the German side to late on in the tie with a spirited display at the Allianz Arena.
Mjallby feels that adding a talent like Nygren to the Celtic squad could significantly strengthen Rodgers’ team and enhance their prospects of advancing even further this time.
Speaking to Scottish Sun, Mjallby said: “Benjamin Nygren can fulfil his Champions League dream at Celtic. He only needs to look at Celtic’s last Champions League campaign, which was very successful, and we saw a lot of good things from the team, especially in the away games against the likes of Atalanta and Bayern Munich, where they showed that they had matured a lot in that arena.”
“Brendan Rodgers was very happy that he had established himself as a manager in Europe with Celtic. Celtic are trying to clinch some early signings by bringing in a few good players and showing they mean business.”
The 54 year-old added: “Nygren falls into that category, and Brendan will be trying to replicate what they did last season or do even better this season,” the former Celtic star said.
“The Champions League is the money pit, and that’s where the riches are, of course, but it is no surprise that Nygren wants to pit his wits on that stage and compete against the best, and Celtic are the team who can elevate his game to that level.”
“Playing for Celtic in the Champions League is something special. Nygren will know that Celtic will play to a 60,000 packed house every time they play at home in that competition. They are not called the best supporters in the world for nothing. Surely he knows all about that.”
Conor Spence
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