Frimpong thriving in Glasgow after growing up fast
Celtic’s Young Player of the Season admits he’s had to become ‘a big man’ at Parkhead
HE may have just picked up Celtic’s young player of the season award, but Jeremie Frimpong has spent his first campaign at
Parkhead growing up.
The Dutch teenager was one of the standout stars for Celtic last season having made his first ever appearance as a senior professional at home to Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup.
His debut – a 5-0 win – seems a lifetime ago now. Frimpong has established himself as first-choice right-back for Celtic, certainly while Hatem Abd Elhamed has been out injured, and has never looked out of place.
Having only played with the youngsters at Manchester City before making the move north to join Scotland’s champions, Frimpong was forced to show maturity beyond his 19 years both on the field, against players who appear to be double his height and weight, and off the field, too. It’s not easy for a young lad to upsticks from a close-knit family to live on his own in a new city.
Frimpong has no regrets, though. “It was the best decision of my career so far – 100 per cent,” he said. “When Celtic first came in for me,
I just thought, ‘This is an amazing club’. I couldn’t wait to get started. It was a chance of first-team football and I wanted to give it everything.
“I knew I was ready for first-team football. I knew it – but I had to go and prove it. When the manager gave me the chance it was such a big moment in my career. But when you play for Celtic with the team-mates I have, what can go wrong?
“Was it a brave decision? Listen, if you want to be a footballer, you have to make those decisions. As a young player, you sometimes have to move. You can’t always stay with your family.
“Growing up, I knew that one day I would probably have to make that decision and go elsewhere. It was tough leaving my family and all my siblings. Coming to Glasgow by myself was hard. You have to adapt, though, and handle the situation.
“When you get a big chance like Celtic, you have to go and take it and prove yourself. I had to say yes to the offer. Who would say no to Celtic? I knew how big a moment this was in my career and I wanted to take advantage. I knew how good it would be for me.
“I’m living by myself now and everything is different away from my family. I try to cook as much as I can. I do the dishes, I wash my own clothes and do all the housework. My cooking is just the simple chicken and pasta dishes. I’m not making lasagne...yet!
“I am used to it now but I do feel I have grown up. I feel like a big man now! But yeah, my family and all the people around me do notice a difference. They’ll say to me, ‘Jeremie, are you changing? You are taking on more responsibility’. That’s what happens when you live by yourself. You need to do things as your family isn’t there. I can ask people for help but I am by myself in Glasgow so I need to get on with it.”
Frimpong has been grateful to manager Neil Lennon for pitching him straight into the starting line-up and he has repaid his faith with some stellar performances. “When I got that chance in the Celtic first team, it was up to me to show the manager what I can do,” he added. “He took a liking to me but I still can’t get complacent. If you do that, you can lose your place. I knew I had to keep working hard and proving myself. At this club, you can’t drop your levels.
“When a manager believes in you it’s amazing. You play with confidence and show no fear. He lets me go out and play my game. He encourages me and tells me to play to my strengths.”
Lennon is not the only member of the Celtic family who has taken a shine to the youngster. Captain Scott Brown, Frimpong says, has been excellent with advice and support throughout his time at the club.
The skipper’s winning mentality, like Frimpong’s own personality, is infectious. “I have taken in a lot,” he said. “I was playing 23s at City and this was just a whole new level. You take advice off the guys but there is a big difference. The atmosphere is crazy and when you play against the opponents they all really want it.
“Your team-mates place demands on you and that just motivates you even more. Losing isn’t an option at Celtic. You need to win every week. All my team-mates have helped me make the move to first-team football. Scott Brown has been big for me. He is such a good person and motivates everyone.
“Before every game he gets us together and says, ‘Right guys...this is serious now’. He talks to me a lot. He will say, ‘Jeremie...use your pace, get at their defence’ and it’s great to hear.”
I had to say yes to the offer. Who would say no to Celtic?
desperate to get back to action. “I can’t wait to get back to training this week,” he said. “All I’ve been doing back home is running all the time. To think I could even just be kicking the ball with another team-mate is a great feeling. But I feel fit and strong. I have been working hard.
“I love football. I’ve missed the game and I just want to get back to it. When I was at home and we couldn’t play, I felt like I was missing something from my life.
“It’s going to be a really safe environment for the players at the training ground.
“The club have put everything in place for the testing and I can’t wait to get back out there.”
Celtic are preparing an all-out assault on the Premiership once again this season as they bid to make history and win the Holy Grail that is 10 in a row. And Frimpong is confident they can do just that – and seal Champions League qualification in the same breath – with the same hard work that earned them the trophy last term.
“I had so many highlights this season but winning the league is the best,” Frimpong added. “It’s unreal to do that in my first year at Celtic and hopefully there are many more to come. I just want to win as many trophies as possible. I play football to do that.
“The Champions League is [also] a new challenge for me and I just can’t wait for it. We worked so hard to win the league and to get to the group stages would be amazing. I want to play against the best teams in Europe for Celtic.”