Brendan should wrap Adam Idah in cotton wool until Bayern Munich game

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The Celtic Star

·6 February 2025

Brendan should wrap Adam Idah in cotton wool until Bayern Munich game

As Celtic head into a crucial run of games including matches in three different competitions over the next 10 days, squad rotation is going to be absolutely key to keeping Brendan Rodgers men fresh and capable of putting in performances like the fantastic one they supplied at Celtic Park on Wednesday night…

Jeffrey Schlupp of Celtic gets instructions from manager Brendan Rodgers before coming on for his debut Celtic v Dundee at Celtic Park, on 5 February 2025 Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

We meet Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup on Saturday before welcoming German giants Bayern Munich to Paradise next Wednesday night. Following that we are back on league duty against Dundee United next Saturday. During the month of February we actually play two games a week, every week so there is a high chance of seeing tired legs at some point, so to reduce the risk of injuries it’s vital that some of our key players are rested at certain stages.

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Imperative that we wrap a certain player up in cotton wool

To me the prime example of a match where we can utilise our squad is this weekend’s home tie in the cup against our Championship opponents. Heading into the absolutely crucial home leg against Bayern Munich, it’s imperative that we wrap a certain player up in cotton wool. That player is Adam Idah. The reason I say this is because Idah is the only real viable choice we have of leading the line against the Germans after we scandalously failed to replace Kyogo in the January window.

Adam Idah celebrates scoring Celtic’s second goal with Callum McGregor during the match between Celtic and Dundee at Celtic Park on February 05, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

As we saw against Aston Villa in our last game in the Champions League, our options up front are limited. Idah is an absolute certainty to start against Bayern, as the only other options are Johnny Kenny (assuming he gets added to the Champion League squad) or Daniel Cummings. The latter I imagine will have completely dropped out of managers thoughts after being the next Celtic starlet to have thrown the chance of immortality away for the potential riches on offer south of the boarder, a decision, like many before him, he will probably regret someday.

No Maeda a huge miss for the team

We are also going to be without the man many think could be our player of the year this season, Daizen Maeda. With Kyogo away, his fellow Japanese star will obviously be an option for Brendan Rodgers to utilise as a striker having played the role successfully in the past at his previous club and also for his country. Maeda is of course suspended for the home tie against Bayern which will be a huge miss for the team, but one that could prove even more costly is anything were to happen to Idah.

Daizen Maeda celebrates scoring Celtic’s third goal during the match between Celtic and Dundee at Celtic Park on February 05, 2025 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

After talking so highly about him recently, I hope Rodgers decides to give Johnny Kenny the chance from the start on Saturday. As I mentioned earlier, our options up front are limited due to the failure to replace Kyogo so Kenny is definitely going to see a decent amount of game time in the second part of this season. He of course came on against Dundee on Wednesday and looked sharp so I don’t think there should be any worries about starting the Irishman against Raith Rovers.

Kenny scored 5 goals in 6 games In Europa Conference League

Anyone who thinks this would be throwing him in at the deep end needs to remember Kenny scored 5 goals in 6 games for Shamrock Rovers during their successful Europa Conference League campaign, so he is more than capable of performing against the likes of Raith Rovers. It also gives him the opportunity to get up to speed as chances are he’s going to be getting game time in a lot of big matches in the latter part of this season, as he’s now our second choice striker. These could very well include making an appearance from the bench in the double header against the current Bundesliga leaders on Wednesday, which would be a fantastic opportunity for the young Irishman.

Johnny Kenny in action Celtic v Dundee,, Celtic Park, 5 February 2025 Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

I know that both Rodgers and Idah have spoke this week about the need for the former Norwich striker to be ready to meet the needs of the club and be prepared to have his minutes on the pitch vastly increased over the rest of the season. I agree and I think Idah will relish being the main man up front for Celtic during this period but at the same time there is absolutely no need to risk the player on Saturday, not with the monumental task that lies ahead of us in Europe. For this week at least, let’s wrap Idah in cotton wool as an injury to him at this stage doesn’t bear thinking about.

Conall McGinty

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