‘Attitude is brilliant’, ‘hungry to do well’: Neil Lennon raves about 6ft Celtic talent, tips him for success

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Celtic manager Neil Lennon has waxed lyrical about Patryk Klimala after netting the Hoops’ first goal of the 2020-21 programme on Thursday afternoon (official Celtic website).

The Parkhead side is currently competing in the Veolia Trophy in France and played out an entertaining 1-1 draw against Ligue 1 side Nice at Lyon’s Groupama Stadium.

Kasper Dolberg put the French side in front after Celtic talisman Odsonne Edouard had a goal wrongly ruled out by VAR.

Following a complete overhaul of the team in the second half, Klimala staked his claim for a first-team spot by scoring just minutes after coming on.

The Polish striker charged onto Teddy Boulhendi’s attempted clearance before slotting into the empty net for the equaliser and final goal of the encounter.

Lennon told the Celtic media team: “He’s a work in progress and it’s a different style of football from what he was used to in Poland, a different culture, but his attitude is brilliant and he’s hungry to do well. Over the piece he will contribute really well.”

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Klimala largely went under the radar last season after arriving from Jagiellonia Bialystok for a reported £3.5million fee (The Scottish Sun), taking time to acclimatise to a new country and football style.

However, the 6ft forward has caught the eye in pre-season thanks to a much more muscular physique, testament to putting the hours in over the past few months, and now has the perfect opportunity to make a name for himself in wake of Leigh Griffiths’ omission.