KENNY KEEN ON SILVERWARE SEND-OFF
JONJOE KENNY can already attest to the thrill of standing on a winners’ podium in close proximity to silverware. It instilled a longing for more that he hopes to satisfy next month at Hampden. Four years ago, the Everton full-back was revelling in the glory of being a world champion — albeit at Under-20 level. Kenny played in all seven matches of a glorious run to the final in Suwon, South Korea, with an England side featuring emerging talents including Kyle Walker-Peters and Lewis Cook. Future Rangers loanee Sheyi Ojo played a starring role together with Freddie Woodman, who would go on to keep goal for Kilmarnock and Aberdeen. Everton’s Dominic CalvertLewin announced himself with the winning goal in the final against Venezuela. The intervening years have seen Kenny add to his first-team appearance at Goodison Park while expanding his horizons with a year spent in Germany with Schalke. It’s the final weeks of his loan deal at Celtic, though, that present him with the chance to savour that winning feeling once again. ‘The World Cup was a great thing to win with England, but you have to move on and it would be nice to have a Scottish Cup winner’s medal,’ said the 24-year-old. ‘It was a great achievement in South Korea at the time. I don’t think I got how massive it was back home, so it was a great thing to do and a brilliant experience. ‘It’s a nice thing to look back on — but you always need to move on and want to win more. ‘We want to keep going and end the season with a trophy. ‘Celtic have won the Scottish Cup four times in a row... it’s not about having a responsibility to keep it, it’s about the team wanting to win as many trophies as possible.’ Whether or not an appearance in the final on May 22, should Celtic get that far, would mark the end of Kenny’s time in Glasgow remains to be seen. Signed by Neil Lennon in January, the rightback has performed well in a side that has often struggled. This fact will not be lost on Eddie Howe. Until the managerial position is clarified and such conversations are had, the player has to work on the assumption he will be leaving. ‘I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time here,’ said Kenny, who is contracted to Everton until summer 2022. ‘I haven’t heard anything about my future. There are a lot of games to go and things to sort out. ‘I’ve got to stay focused on what I’ve got to do, which is performing to the maximum of my ability every week.’