Celtic boss makes prediction on 'magical' forward as Hoops ace labelled 'one of the best' after Man City win

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers was left purring after watching his Hoops side win a seven goal thriller against Manchester City in America overnight.

A brace from Nicholas Kuhn followed by a strike from Kyogo Furuhashi saw the Hoops go 3-1 ahead at the break before Maximo Perrone and Erling Haaland levelled for Pep Guardiola’s side in the second period. However, winger Luis Palma would seal a memorable 4-3 win over the English Premier League champions at the Kenan Memorial Stadium when he fired home in the 68th minute as fans were treated to a dingdong battle in North Carolina.

The victory sealed Celtic’s fourth successive pre-season win and took their goal tally to 14 goals in their last four games, as the Hoops continue preparations for their Scottish Premiership opener against Kilmarnock on August 4. The champions will face one final pre-season test against Chelsea in Indiana on Saturday before getting their campaign underway and Rodgers’ admits he has been hugely impressed by what he has seen so far.

“Whenever you play Pep (Guardiola) teams it is so complex how they play,” said the Celtic boss. “I said before the game that it would be another step up for us physically but also tactically as you have got to be so concentrated and press in the right moments. You can't always press or else you end up running more. I thought the players dealt with that so well. The football we played was excellent. The goals were class and we attacked and showed how much we wanted to attack. It was a really good night and the supporters were amazing once again.”

The game also handed fans a first glimpse of new signing Kasper Schmeichel, who had an impressive Celtic debut against his former club, pulling off a number of saves during the first half. “He is one of the best in that one-on-one moment,” said Rodgers. “He is so good and he makes himself so big, his timing, everything is so good. That was a lovely introduction for him to come in. He'll understand as he goes along how much we need from him. His personality will be huge not only for the team but for the club as well."

The 51-year-old boss also hailed ‘magical’ German forward Kuhn after his two-goal haul against the Cityzens and believes fans will see the best of him this season as he settles further into life in Glasgow. “Hopefully, in the first year, he was adapting and he has come back looking really sharp,” commented the Celtic boss. “The moves for the goals were outstanding. Some of the football to play through City's press was excellent. We built it up really well despite their pressure. He finished his two goals really well. His pass for the third goal was magical. The outside of the right foot and it had to travel a long distance, so two goals and an assist for him was great. We wanted to play him a little bit longer but he just felt a little bit on his knee but he was very good.”