NICOLAS KUHN recharged his batteries during the international break following a mystifying drop in form after the turn of the year.
The German winger sizzled through the first part of the campaign with 14 goals to go along with some mesmerising overall performances.
Kuhn’s two-goal display in the 3-1 Champions League triumph over his former side RB Leipzig lit up the east end of Glasgow on November 5.
And the 25-year-old wide Bhoy produced a stunning second-half show in the Premier Sports League Cup Final against Philippe Clement’s Ibrox outfit to turn a 1-0 interval deficit into a 3-2 lead with three minutes to go.
AIR WE GO…Nicolas Kuhn celebrates his strike in the Premier Sports League Cup Final in December.
Unfortunately, the Hoops made life difficult for themselves when they allowed the Govan club to equalise and take the game to extra-time and then penalty-kicks before the job was complete in the spot-kick shoot-out with Daizen Maeda drilling in the decisive strike after Kasper Schmeichel’s save from Ridvan Yilmaz.
However, Kuhn dropped off the pace only a couple of games into 2025 and, after netting a double in the 3-0 victory over St Mirren at Parkhead on January 5, claimed only two more strikes – against Dundee in a 6-0 home win in February and another against Bayern Munich in a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena later in the month.
Brendan Rodgers replaced the ineffectual winger at the interval of the recent derby with Adam Idah taking over. The champions trailed 2-0 at the time before their eventual error-strewn 3-2 loss.
Thankfully, Kuhn demonstrated some of the blistering skills in the 3-0 success over Hearts at the weekend as the Hoops rediscovered their rhythm and killer touch.
IN WITH A SHOUT…Daizen Maeda yells with joy after netting against Motherwell in the 3-1 win at Fir Park in February.
Now the £3million recruit from Vienna Rapid in January last year is looking forward to sustaining that sort of form in the run-in to what could emerge as a world record NINTH treble-winning crusade, starting with the trip to Perth to face St Johnstone on Sunday.
Kuhn said: “The international break was good. There were a lot of games beforehand and I think we are all fresh again.
“After the game against Hearts, I believe we are back on track.
“I was in Germany during the break to see my family. So, it was a good couple of days and now the focus is on the end of the season.”
Kuhn is sitting on 18 goals – with 14 assists – and and has set himself a modest target for his season’s total of strikes.
The swivel-hipped flanker, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “I’ll be happy if I score 20.
“Scoring is the most important thing. People will look at the stats.
“For me, it doesn’t matter, though, if I assist or score myself – both are really nice.”
DIDN’T HE DO WELL…Filipe Jota races away in triumph after scoring against Motherwell in his comeback game after netting from a pass by Daizen Maeda (grounded in the background).
Filipe Jota, of course, has returned to add his eye-catching qualities to Celtic’s attacking force while Maeda has answered the SOS to spearhead the frontline after the £10million January switch by his compatriot Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes.
The jet-paced Japanese raider has claimed a remarkable 30 goals already this term with a double coming against the Tynecastle side on Saturday while the Portuguese maverick hit the other during an impressive first-half.
Kuhn added: “Game by game, it’s getting better. The connection is starting to grow. All three of us had an impact against Hearts, so, hopefully, we can keep going like this until the end of the season.
“In his new role as a striker, Daizen’s doing a fantastic job. He’s always there and it’s great to play alongside him.
“Now it’s all about three points on Sunday. Game by game, we have to step up and show our qualities.”
