Celtic striker Adam Idah showed once again yesterday why Brendan Rodgers continues to rely on him in big moments. Whether it’s late in a Scottish Cup final at Ibrox or against Young Boys in Europe, the Irishman has so often stepped up when it matters most.
Despite hitting form once again at the business end of the season — with a brace against Dundee United to seal Celtic’s 55th league title and a goal at Ibrox — Adam Idah has now scored in three consecutive games. Yet, if some are to be believed, he’ll never be Celtic’s number one striker.
From questions over his off-the-pitch behaviour on a night out with no training the next day, Adam Idah has clearly lit a fire within himself. He now looks like a player motivated to silence the doubters surrounding his £9 million price tag.
Strip away that hefty burden and simply judge his goals— no, he hasn’t been at his best for most of the season, but when Brendan Rodgers called for his players to step up after the defeat to St Johnstone last month, Idah was one who did — and then some.
Celtic will likely sign a striker in the summer to fill the void left by Kyogo, who departed in January, but there’s no denying that Adam Idah’s season has, in many ways, been over-scrutinised because of his price tag.
Up until the Kilmarnock game at Celtic Park, Idah was kept out of the team by Daizen Maeda — who recently won PFA Scotland Player of the Year — and that’s hardly a reason to criticise him.
Incredibly, with both now in the starting XI, Celtic look an even better side. Maeda remains just as effective, while Idah is delivering the kind of crucial goals we saw last season that ultimately led to his permanent move in the summer.
Idah will face a challenge this summer to keep his place in the starting XI, but over the past few weeks — and in spells throughout the season — we’ve seen that he can deliver in big moments, something that somehow still manages to fly under the radar.
