JEREMIE FRIMPONG had to sit on the sidelines last year as Celtic competed in the group-stages of the Europa League as he was not registered to play. The 19-year-old made his European debut against Copenhagen this year and would’ve been hoping to make it beyond the Round of 32 as the Danish side knocked Neil Lennon’s side out. Now, the right back is hoping to take a step towards European qualification with a win away to Riga in Latvia.
Speaking to The Herald Scotland, Frimpong admitted that the whole group were looking forward to the match and the opportunity to showcase their talents after being knocked out of the Champions League by Ferencvaros.
“We are all looking forward to the Europa League. It’s a big thing for the club. We all want to play European football and show our ability on that stage to the rest of the world.
“It will be tough in Latvia but every game in the qualifiers is like that.
“Teams all want to beat us. They want to show their own quality and they will treat it like a final.
“We just have to be at our best and look to get the job done over there.”
The ex-Man City kid arrived with the tag of being one for the future; however, he quickly made his impact known on the first team. Frimpong made 22 appearances across all competitions last year, which appears low considering how influential he was. He scored a goal versus Aberdeen at Pittodrie, a move which he started, before interplay with Edouard, culminating in Frimpong having an easy tap-in as Celtic came out on top with a 4-0 win. Frimpong also had his first medal in the League Cup win over Rangers. Frimpong was sent off but his performance in the first half earned plaudits in a game where Celtic were far from their best. This season he will be hoping to continue that with progress into Europe.
