BRENDAN RODGERS admits he’s undecided on striker Johnny Kenny’s immediate Celtic future.
The 22 year-old Irish hitman scored in the 1-0 win over Queen’s Park on Friday night.
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Rodgers has been impressed with Kenny’s fitness levels since returning for preseason training.
But he’s weighing up whether to send the forward out on loan ahead of the new season.
Bolton lead a number of clubs interested in snapping up £1million-rated Kenny who spent the first half of last season at Shamrock Rovers.
Rodgers said: “I’ve spoken to a few clubs that want to take him on loan.
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“I just want to have a look in pre-season just to see where we’re at and see what’s going to be the best for his development.
“We obviously want him to be a Celtic player. He’s a goalscorer. There’s absolutely no doubt about that.
“It’s what’s going to be the best for him and Celtic and whether that’s going to be here or whether it’s just go away and get some more games and play.
“But I’ll assess that over pre-season.
“He’s big on the pitch, he’s bigger in his uniform.
“He presses, he runs, he’s aggressive. And like I say, 25 yards in, he’s a very good finisher.
“So, we think there’s a lot of talent there, we want to try and develop that and we’ll see how he does over the course of pre-season.”
Rodgers insists it’s vital Celtic clear a pathway for their best young players to merge through the ranks.
He added: “I think probably some of the problem here has been over many years, there’s too many players.
“So actually, the talented players aren’t getting through quick enough. That’s the reality.
“So it’s finding a way.
“We’ve got guys in now with Paul Tisdale and Shaun Maloney now. They know the game. They’ve been around it. And the job is to get them through quick. We’ve got talents.
“How can we get them through quickly into the first team? Not be the talented best player under 16 staying under 16.
“That’s why the kid is up now training with ourselves and there’s one or two other boys. So, there’s a pathway here. There absolutely will be.
“But we’ve got to get them through quickly and balance it between the pressure and whether they need a loan or whether they’re ready to go straight in.”
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Rodgers, meanwhile, insists Cameron Carter-Vickers, James Forrest and Reo Hatate are expected to start full training this week after recent injuries.
He added: “Cam had some issues around the end of last season.
“But we decided this was really important for him and he needed that to get the operation.
“We knew then the recovery time would mean he’d miss a week.
“But he’s back working again and, hopefully, be ready for the next few weeks.
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“With Reo, was just a shame for him. He’s had a few extra few days but he’ll come back in and he’ll be fine.”
“Jamesie should be okay for Cork.”
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