BENJAMIN NYGREN was told by outgoing interim manager Martin O’Neill to be the fourth-best Swede in the veteran coach’s final farewell speech to the Celtic players in midweek.
The Irishman, who won seven of his eight games in charge after answering the call to step up following the rapid exit of Brendan Rodgers in late October, took the opportunity for his last hurrah as he addressed the squad in the dressing room.
Shortly beforehand, the referee’s whistle had sounded to bring down the curtain on 1-0 victory over Dundee for three crucial points that put them level at the Premiership pinnacle with today’s opponents Hearts.
O’Neill singled out Nygren to tell him: “Young man, I love the Swedes. You be one of the top Swedes, please.
“Borg’s my favourite hero, Abba are a fantastic group and Henrik Larsson is just sensational. Okay, you be Number Four.”
HEAVENS ABOVE…£1.7million summer recriot Benjamin Nygren looks skywards and has high hopes for Celtic under new boss Wilfried Nancy.
Nygren, who is hoping to get the nod from debutant boss Wilfried Nancy to face the Edinburgh club in what is certain to be a rousing encounter in the east end of Glasgow today, smiled: “It was funny.
“I think I was behind Abba. Yeah, that’s a bit of a tough one!”
Looking at his brief spell working with 73-year-old O’Neill, who had five years at the club after initially arriving in the summer of 2000, £1.7million recruit Nygren said: “Obviously, he’s a big legend in the club.
“He came here and brought great results. I’m sure the whole club is very thankful for his performance.
“The next three games are probably the most important games we’ve had all season. It’s a great challenge and I’m looking forward to it a lot and I’m sure the whole coaching staff are, as well.”
The 24-year-old attack-minded midfielder, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “I believe in us. For me, we’re the best team in the country, so it’s all about us.
FAREWELL – AND THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES…Martin O’Neill waves to the appreciative Celtic fans.
“We needed to do better and we’ve done better. Obviously, Hearts have also dropped points. But, in the end, it’s all about us and our performance. We’ve shown how strong we are as a group and we stick together all the time.
“When we had some bad results, we always stick together as a team and keep on pushing. Lately, we’ve turned it around.”
The Hoops are now preparing to meet and overcome the challenge of the Tynecastle outfit and take a three-point lead at the top with a game in hand, the Europa League visit of AS Roma on Thursday and St Mirren in the Premier Sports League Cup Final at Hampden a week today.
Looking at the arrival of the 48-year-old Frenchman and his three assistants from Columbus Crew, former Nordsjælland star Nygren added: “Great first impression.
“I really, really like how they think about things and about football, so I’m really excited. It sounds like he’s going to be a man who likes to play attacking, exciting football.
“It’s music to the ears. Offensive-minded football, smart football, as well. You need to think football, technical football and brave football. That’s something I also think, so I’m really excited.
HOOP HOOP HOORAY…Wilfried Nancy gets shirty as he arrives at Lennoxtown.
“Obviously now we’ve been doing good lately, so it’s all about making those small adjustments. I think it’s always a fresh start when there’s a new coach or new coaching staff.
“I didn’t know too much about him, I just know that he was doing really good in America and played great football.
“He received an award for best coach as well. People I’ve talked to have only said really good things about him, both as a coach but also as a human.
“That’s also my first impression of him. Not only does he seem like a good coach, he also seems like a very good person.”
As the minutes tick down to today’s 3pm kick-off, Nygren will surely remember the words of one of Abba’s greatest hits…’The Winner Takes It All’.
* DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Celtic v Hearts this afternoon – only in your champion CQN.
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