‘Will be a good player for Celtic’: 21-year-old tipped for success, has physical presence, pace and talent

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Celtic striker Patryk Klimala has been praised by compatriot and former Bhoy Dariusz Dziekanowski, who reckons the 21-year-old has the tools needed to impress at Parkhead, as reported in the Daily Record.

The Poland Under-21 striker joined Neil Lennon’s side at the start of the year for a reported £3.5million fee (The Scottish Sun) after seven goals in 18 appearances last season for Polish Ekstraklasa side Jagiellonia Bialystok.

Klimala scored 11 goals in 48 appearances in total for Jagiellonia, having made his debut in July 2018, as well as spending a season on loan at Wigry Suwalki in the 2017-18 season, netting 13 times in 28 games.

The 21-year-old has been acclimatising to a new country and style of football and as such was handed limited game time by Neil Lennon prior to the Scottish Premiership season being called prematurely, with two league appearances and two Scottish Cup outings.

With preparations under way for the 2020-21 season, Klimala has caught the eye thanks to his shaven head and muscular physique, and with Leigh Griffiths having missed out on both the Loughborough training camp and the pre-season trip to France, the spotlight has increased on the Pole.

“Patryk will be a good player for Celtic,” Dziekanowski told the Daily Record. “But it is really up to him – his motivation, hunger, his quality and how quickly he learns about Scottish football.

“He has a chance now and I hope he understands what a big opportunity Celtic is. He must take his game to a special level because Celtic is a huge club. They have paid big money to give him an opportunity and he must do everything to pay them back.”

After discussing how he brought something different to the Celtic team after an indifferent start, Dziekanowski provided some advice for his fellow country man.

“Patryk must learn to use his natural ability and give the signs of how his colleagues must play into him to use his talent – how it best suits the team,” said the 57-year-old.

“It’s important he doesn’t just try to copy Odsonne Edouard. Neil Lennon will want something different from his attackers.

“It shouldn’t matter if Celtic play one or two strikers. If Klimala wants to be in the team then he has to prove he can do either.

“Of course he can play out wide and support a main striker and do lots of good work outside the box. But if he is given the No.9 role then he has the physical presence and pace to do that.”

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While Odsonne Edouard is Celtic’s main man up front, Griffiths’ omission from Neil Lennon’s pre-season plans so far is an opportunity that Klimala must – and most likely will – take.

Klimala’s physique has caught the eye, testament to a player who has worked incredibly hard over the past few months in spite of current events, and it bodes well for his future as well as that of the Hoops.