NafisaJohnny Kenny’s season has come to an end after Bolton Wanderers confirmed the Celtic striker sustained knee ligament damage during last weekend’s defeat to Luton Town.
The injury occurred during Bolton’s 3-2 defeat at home and immediately sparked concern given how quickly Kenny had established himself in Steven Schumacher’s side after joining on loan from Celtic in February.
Now the worst fears have been realised.
Kenny will miss the remainder of Bolton’s promotion chase along with any possible play-off fixtures. It marks a disappointing conclusion to what had become a highly encouraging loan spell for the Irish forward after a frustrating first half of the campaign battling for opportunities at Celtic.
Since arriving at Bolton, Kenny netted six league goals and contributed three assists across only 14 League One appearances. He was also used in multiple attacking positions, occasionally leading the attack and at other times operating deeper behind a striker.
That versatility allowed him to adapt quickly.
The move to England appeared exactly what he required after drifting in and out of Martin O’Neill’s plans during the winter period. At Celtic, Kenny had shown glimpses of development earlier in the season with goals against Falkirk, Dundee United and Livingston, but consistent starts became difficult once Kelechi Iheanacho rediscovered his rhythm.
Bolton manager Steven Schumacher admitted the loss of Kenny is a major setback.
He said: (Bolton News), “It’s a similar injury to the one Amario had, so it is season-ending for us, certainly.
“Six goals total for us, a few assists, he was a constant threat, not easy to play against and I spoke a few weeks ago how important he has been for us, so I can’t deny that he’s going to be a miss.
“Like we’ve proved all season, Sam Dalby got injured in the first week of pre-season, Mason Burstow stepped up and got off to a flyer, and we’ve had other injuries, Marcus Forss, Amario, Cordy Blackett-Taylor, two midfield players were injured for seven weeks.
“Yes, we are going to miss Johnny Kenny, but someone else will step up and be the hero for us.”
With Daizen Maeda and Kelechi Iheanacho both finding form at the ideal stage of the season, forcing his way back into Celtic’s forward line next term was already shaping up to be a difficult task for Kenny. Callum Osmand has also recently returned to training and is pushing for involvement in matchday squads before the campaign concludes.
Tomáš Čvančara’s loan spell has already been cut short, while Junior Adamu continues to face scrutiny after struggling to leave a major impression since arriving. That leaves Celtic with significant attacking decisions to make again this summer, with several positions in the final third still unclear ahead of the rebuild.
Kenny had begun putting himself firmly into the conversation through his performances at Bolton and regular first-team football.
Now attention turns entirely towards recovering fully from the injury before any decisions are taken regarding his role next season.
Nafisa
