NORWEGIAN new Bhoy Odin Thiago Holm made a distinct first impression on Brendan Rodgers when he made his Parkhead debut last night.
The 20-year-old midfielder, a £2.5million buy from Valerenga in June, came on after the interval with the Hoops trailing 2-1 to Athletic Bilbao in James Forrest’s Testimonial Match.
The first-half focus of the manager and the supporters may have been centre-back recruit Maik Nawrocki, a £4.3million acquisition from Legia Warsaw, and South Korean anchorman Kwon Hyeon-kyu, who were also taking their bow in the east end of Glasgow after their recent arrivals.
HOLM IS WHERE THE HEART IS…Odin Thiago Holm holds aloft his Celtic shirt on the day of his arrival.
Holm was introduced at the same time as Matt O’Riley and David Turnbull, the eventual matchwinner, for skipper Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, scorer of an exquisite first goal, and the industrious Kwon.
The game turned as they got a grip of the middle of the park and emerged victorious with Alexandro Bernabei the other marksman with a cool finish after some sublime lead-up play involving Turnbull and O’Riley.
Singling out the Nordic kid, Rodgers said: “Odin was excellent, his comfort on the ball and his ability. He combined really well.
“A lot of these guys I don’t know, so for me there’s a clean slate for them all. It’s assessing over the course of pre-season, what they’ve done in the past doesn’t really matter.
“That includes the guys who have worked with me before. They have to have that hunger.
WATCHING BRIEF…Brendan Rodgers pays attention to his players in the 3-2 win over thletic Bilbao.
Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV, added: “The second-half team was excellent. Our positioning was good and that allowed us to break through their pressure.
“In the first-half, we were running all over the place and playing on our own.
“That’s not what my teams are about.”
Now the focus is on the Premiership kick-off on Flag Day at Parkhead on Saturday when Ross County provide the opposition.
Rodgers’ team selection to start the encounter will be highly interesting.
THREE CHEERS ON FORREST’S BIG NIGHT
