HEAD DOWN, THUMBS UP

Moi Elyounoussi on working hard behind the scenes and seizing chances as they come

- JOE DONNELLY

“I WANT to touch on Moi,” said Celtic manager Neil Lennon in the aftermath of last week’s UEFA Europa League third qualifying round win over Riga in Latvia. “He was out of the team for a few games because he maybe wasn’t at his best – but he’s trained brilliantly, and he’s such a great example to the rest of the squad.”

The Irishman spoke in praise of the 26-year-old after he’d netted his side’s only goal of the game, scored in the 90th minute, eight minutes after the Norwegian had entered play. Just three days after that, and it was Elyounoussi who hit Celtic’s third against Hibernian, putting the match out of sight and ensuring the nine-in-a-row champions remained one point from the top of the Premiership with a game in hand.

Elyounoussi’s efforts in Europe earned him a place in the manager’s starting XI against Hibs on Sunday, and, besides his goal, he was credited with an assist for striker Albian Ajeti – the Norwegian having forced a save from stopper Ofir Marciano, before Ajeti poked home Celtic’s second of the afternoon.

The midfielder admitted he wouldn’t normally claim an assist under these circumstances, but also said who is he to argue with official records?

“For me personally, I wouldn’t normally count that as an assist, but on paper, it does go down as an assist,” said Elyounoussi in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View. “So, from a stats point of view, I mean, I’ll happily take it!”