Belgium boss expects much from Musonda
CHARLY MUSONDA’S introduction to Scottish football has proved anything but serene for such a special talent.
The Chelsea playmaker admits he’s discovered a tough, rough environment that is yet to bring out the best in him.
His international manager, Roberto Martinez, has no doubt that all such obstacles will be hurdled with supreme skill by Celtic’s 21-year-old loan man.
‘With his talent, the Celtic fans will see a footballer they can fall in love with,’ said the Belgium boss. ‘The league has gained an incredible talent.
‘It’s what you hope to watch in the stadium when you arrive. You want to see that arrogance, that raw talent. This is a real treat for Celtic fans. He can be one of the big additions to Scottish football.’
Musonda is the ‘No 10’ craved by Brendan Rodgers since arriving at the club, the Celtic manager having made previous attempts to persuade Chelsea to part with him before January’s successful swoop.
His impact has been slow to get off the ground, too. In Musonda’s two full 90-minute Ladbrokes Premiership appearances, Celtic failed to score in defeat at Kilmarnock then at home to St Johnstone in a stalemate.
The undoubted highlight was in the Europa League first-leg game against Zenit St Petersburg when the substitute teed up Callum McGregor’s winning goal.
However, Celtic were already 3-0 down when he was introduced from the bench in the return leg and Rodgers deemed that no intervention from Musonda was required for victory at Aberdeen but he earned 22 minutes in yesterday’s win over Morton.
There appears no hurry for Celtic to chase their money’s worth in the deal thanks to the 18-month arrangement with Chelsea.
Raheem Sterling’s progress at Liverpool and the sensational first Celtic season from Moussa Dembele are examples of the canny touch Rodgers has with attacking young players.
Martinez is excited by the prospect of watching his former Merseyside managerial rival guide the club career of one of Belgium’s best young stars between now and May 2019. ‘To me it’s important that this wasn’t short term,’ said Martinez.
‘Eighteen months is going to give Charly the time to settle in and to understand Brendan Rodgers and the way he wants to play.
‘To have Brendan as his coach should have been something in the mind of Charly before this move.
‘Brendan has worked with a few youngsters before who needed that understanding from him and the time on the pitch to get the best out of them.
‘Charly will have the benefits from that. That’s a really good partnership. Eighteen months allows that to be really strong.
‘There must be a real desire now from Charly to be on the pitch and express himself.
‘Somewhere he really feels the support of the manager.
‘At Celtic, Charly will get the opportunity to be a key player in a top team. He has been ready to play regular football.
‘We are very excited about that in Belgium because we know that Charly, when he gets the continuity, will have the chance to make the final stage of his development and fulfil his huge potential.’
Musonda has not played for Martinez’s outrageously gifted senior squad, who are heading to the 2018 World Cup finals as sixth favourites to lift the trophy.
But he has featured at all levels up to Under-21 — and the opportunity to play Champions League football with Celtic next season would at least offer him a platform to convince Martinez he deserves a promotion.
Snatching a shirt off Kevin De Bruyne or Eden Hazard any time soon looks an impossible task. Musonda needs the bigger stage provided by European football with Celtic for Martinez to assess how close he can get.
Martinez said: ‘He has some incredible experience for someone of such a young age — to play in Spain for Real Betis and to challenge in a first team that was the Premier League champions last season at Chelsea.
‘And he’s never been in a situation there where he has looked out of place. He has incredible confidence. He’ll have a massive role in the Celtic team now. To play in the Champions League, he’ll be really for that.
‘He’s a footballer who needs big challenges and big games. Charly is someone who in one, quick action can make such a difference. ‘From a young age at Anderlecht he’s always been a top talent; the name of Charly Musonda is one that gets everyone excited. ‘He can show his ability at Celtic, play and enjoy his football.’