Benjamin Nygren insists that Celtic will be ready to rise to the occasion when their Champions League qualifier arrives, despite Thursday’s friendly defeat to Ajax.
The Swedish international joined Celtic this summer for a reported fee of £1.5m from Danish side FC Nordsjælland on a five-year deal.
The winger has been one of the standout performers in pre-season so far, impressing against Newcastle United, Ajax, and Sporting Lisbon. With many fans already believing that he has earning a guaranteed starting place in the first-team.
But Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the Amsterdam giants was a wake-up call for the squad and manager Brendan Rodgers, who admitted the team remains short of where it needs to be. Despite the result, there were flashes of promise from Nygren, who continues to adapt quickly to life at the club.
Celtic begin their league title defence against St Mirren in just over a week and will look to build form and confidence ahead of their Champions league play-off game next month.
The Hoops will discover their Champions League play-off opponents during the draw on Monday, with clubs like Lech Poznan, Slovan Bratislava, and Sturm Graz in the mix.
Although concerns are growing in the Celtic fanbase, Nygren insists that the squad will be ready to deliver when it matters most. [RecordSport]
“I am confident we will be ready for those matches. We have very good players and I have already seen in the training games that we have a lot of quality. It wasn’t good enough against Ajax but we will be ready.”
“The Champions League is a huge ambition for me and one of those dreams I have. I want to play at that level and hear that anthem. I really, really want to take that step.”
