Stephen Bradley makes 'main man' plea to Shamrock Rovers ace ahead of key career decision
Johnny Kenny is on loan from Celtic but Shamrock Rovers want to keep the striker for longer after a big season
Johnny Kenny has been urged to stay at Shamrock Rovers for another season and become ‘the main man’ for the Hoops.
Celtic’s loan star finished the Premier Division campaign with the best goals-per-minute ratio in the league - weighing in with 13, and one every 131 minutes.
And in Europe, the 21-year-old is on fire with three goals in five European games this year, going into tonight's Conference League clash with The New Saints of Wales.
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Rovers boss Stephen Bradley believes Kenny - the ex-Sligo Rovers hotshot snapped up by Celtic on a five-year deal in 2022 - took his game to new heights this year. And he feels Kenny would improve further in 2025 if he stayed with the four-in-a-row champions, who have just been dethroned by Shelbourne.
Padraig Amond and Pat Hoban tied on 14 goals to finish the campaign as the joint top scorers in the Premier Division - but Bradley claims Kenny can be the best of the lot. The young striker is on loan until December and going into today’s European clash, Bradley said: “Celtic hold the cards in that regard, there’s no getting away from that.
“They’re his club and they will make the final decision. But I think we have really good dialogue between both clubs. Too many times in this country when players have a (good) season, we get excited, everyone gets excited,. and the first thought is ‘move them, move them’. Then within 18 months, they’re lost.”
But Bradley has hailed Kenny’s maturity and feels the Sligo man is better equipped now than he was a year ago to make smart decisions over his future.
“Last year, when I met him with six months left in the season, all the talk was Belgian second division, Holland second division,” explained the Hoops boss. “I said, ‘Johnny you’re mad, you need to stay here.’ I showed him the stats here, we went through it and showed him how we could develop it and to be fair, he trusted it.
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“He’s done the work, he’s come back and when you’re having conversations with Johnny now about his future, he’s a different person, he’s really calm about it. That young boy I met in Sligo when I tried to sign him for the first time on loan, he was in a rush. He was probably a bit angry with everything and wanted to prove everything yesterday. He’s nice and mature now and calm and I think he’s in a really good place.”
And Bradley added: “Johnny has had all that madness before and now it's about playing up to Christmas and sitting down to talk. But I would think there’s a massive benefit for Johnny in being here next year and leading this team and this club. There’s a lot of time left to go and fulfil that potential and reach it. I think for the next year, he needs to keep learning, keep developing and be the main man.”
This European clash is Rovers’ first outing since they saw Shelbourne crowned new league champions last Friday - but Bradley insists that disappointment is parked. Rovers are striving to become the first Irish club to reach the knockout stages of a major European competition over their remaining four games. And Bradley insists motivation won’t be a problem.
“Success can be a horrible teacher, it can make you comfortable,” he said. “You can lose your edge and your sharpness. Sometimes losing is not a bad thing, it hurts, it’s sore, but it’s not a bad thing if you’re willing to take the learnings from it and the lessons from it. It can make you better.
“If we had done something like Liverpool did with Manchester City and got 99 points and you get beat, that’s tough to take because you left everything out there. We didn’t do that this year so it’s quite simple and easy for me to take.”
TNS lost 2-0 away to Italian giants Fiorentina in their opening league phase game and then followed up with a 2-0 home win over Astana of Kazakhstan.
Manager Craig Harrison - the former Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace defender - said last night: “We should be enjoying this level, not coming in with any trepidation. If Rovers win they are near enough through, and if we win we’re a point or two away. I think eight points will be enough, or seven if you have a good goal difference.”
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