Brendan Rodgers is excited by the impact that Sebastian Tounekti has had since arriving in Glasgow, saying that he has the ‘DNA’ of a traditional Celtic winger.
The Tunisian got his first goal for his new club in the thumping League Cup quarter final win over Partick Thistle that has set up a mouthwatering semi-final clash against city rivals Rangers at Hampden in early November.
Over and above his strike, the 23-year-old impressed with his direct running and trickery on the ball, and when asked if he was pleased to see that the Celtic fans are excited by his play, Rodgers said: “Oh, yes, he excites me, every time he gets the ball and that's what we were desperate for in the team.
“He's come in really aggressive. He's a really talented boy because he can go either way and also, not only that, he can run in behind.
“You see the numbers of times he makes runs. Sometimes he doesn't get it, sometimes he does, but he's running off the ball as well.
“I'm really excited for where he is and where we can bring him to. But importantly, supporters will love watching him because he's so exciting.
“I think that when you come to here and if you look through the history of this club, it's littered with amazing wingers and that's the football we play.
“The DNA of this club is based on attacking football and that is with wingers on the side of the pitch that can take people on, beat people.
“Every time he gets the ball, you just sense the excitement and that's what we need on both sides.
“Obviously, they [Thistle] looked to come and press early in the second half and then we were able to play through that. Sebastian has made a great impact since he's come in. He's got great speed, and is really good in the one v one [situations].”
Rodgers has now challenged Tounekti to add a consistent goal threat to his game.
“I'm glad for Seba [to get his goal] because that's one area, when I spoke to him before he came in, I felt we can improve his game,” he said.
“Because for him to keep progressing, he's got big talent, but he needs to add numbers to his game.”
Rodgers was also pleased to see Kieran Tierney get a first full 90 minutes under his belt since coming back to the club in the summer.
“Psychologically, I felt it was important for him,” he said.
“He hasn't played 90 in a long, long time. But for him just to push himself to get over the hill is very important. Especially in the first half, the combination played with him and Sebastian on that side was outstanding.
“He’s gone through a lot, not just physically, but mentally. There's a stress on a player that you can never understand, unless you've had really bad injuries and what that does to you, what it makes you think about whenever you're pushing yourself.
“When you're young and fresh and haven't got many injuries, then you're just free and you're 100 percent. When you know that you've been out for maybe periods of time, it can psychologically hurt you.
“But he's getting over all that and it's just every day getting better and improving.
“It's good for him to get the 90 minutes.”
As for the semi-final draw against Rangers, Rodgers is hoping for - and expecting – a much improved performance from his side than the one they turned in at Ibrox in the goalless draw earlier this month.
“Whatever team you play in the semi-final, going to Hampden, I think that was important for us to get back there,” he said.
“There are a lot of games between now and then and hopefully we can build the rhythm and keep growing and arrive in a good place for the semi.
“I think I said it at the time for both teams, Ibrox wasn't a great game, to be honest. My only worry is Celtic, but we weren't in our best place, even though in other times, if you go to Ibrox and you get a point, it might be deemed OK.
“For me, it was just about trusting the team and trusting how we work. More importantly, trusting the players, which I do and I can see the fluency starting to arrive.”
