Musonda keen to make most of loan spell and aim high with Bhoys

HIGHLY-REGARDED youngster Charly Musonda believes Celtic Park is the perfect place for him to mature into a medal winner.

The 21-year-old Chelsea midfielder has joined Brendan Rodgers’ side on an 18-month loan deal as he looks sample his first taste of senior silverware.

The Belgium U-21 playmaker has lifted both the UEFA Youth League and FA Youth Cup at Stamford Bridge and now wants to tick off his first trophy win as a first-team figure with the Hoops.

And he could end the season with two if Celtic continue their march towards historic back-to-back trebles. Musonda needs to feature in at least seven more league games for Rodgers’ team if he is to be eligible for a potential league winner’s medal.

And he will have the chance to go for a second if the Parkhead side avoid a slip-up against Morton in tomorrow’s William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-final.

“It would be unbelievable to win my first trophy at Celtic,” Musonda told the Celtic View. “That’s why I’m here.

“This is a club that constantly deals with the pressure to win trophies. To be a part of that would be fantastic. It would be an amazing experience, especially at a young age.

TROPHIES

“You want to be able to be part of a winning team and to be 21 years old and have the chance to win trophies is an exciting position to be in, so hopefully we can win trophies this year.

“I’d be very happy to achieve that and I’ll be very proud to be part of a club that wins trophies.”

Musonda spent 2016 on loan at La Liga outfit Real Betis but admits his current posting is proving a real eye-opener as he faces up to the Hoops’ stubborn domestic opponents.

“The challenge here is tough and unique because every team sets up to try and stop you,” he said. “That’s not an easy thing, whereas in European games it’s more open and teams don’t really come out to try and stop us. In that respect it’s hard because the games aren’t really set up like that, they aren’t as open and it’s harder.

“There’s no doubt it’s a good learning curve for me. It’s a physical game here but it’s also physical in England so I’m used to that.

“I enjoy this challenge, though, to try and break down teams who set up to block us and stop us from winning. That’s really hard, whereas against Zenit in the Europa League game was more open and there was space for us.

“In situations like that you know you’re going to have a chance to do something. In the domestic games we know we have to be more patient, unless you manage to get an early lead. That’s going to be a very good learning curve for me.”