Celtic new boy in nod to Jock Stein with famous line as he admits 'that's why I signed'

Celtic new boy in nod to Jock Stein with famous line as he admits 'that's why I signed'

The Swede looked slick in the win at Pittodrie and was front and centre of the supporters' celebrations after the final whistle

Benjamin Nygren celebrates with Kieran Tierney

He might have clocked the quote on the statue in front of Celtic Park and stuck in the back of his mind for later use.

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Then again, it might just be a sentiment he shares.

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But, either way, Benjamin Nygren rolling out the famous line from club immortal Jock Stein about football being nothing without fans was a decent way to endear himself to supporters.

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Not that he needed any fancy PR tricks after his performance at Pittodrie.

The silky Swede helped swat the Dons aside in Sunday’s 2-0 victory in the north east to maintain his side’s unbeaten start to the defence of their Premiership crown.

Nygren’s first goal for Celts was a touch of clash when he swept up Kieran Tierney’s pinpoint cross into the bottom corner.

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The playmaker topped off the win by teeing up Reo Hatate for a sublime second and his all-round display had Hoops fans well and truly won over.

By the end Nygren was leading the celebrations in the away end – lapping up the kind of magical moment he signed up for when he landed on a £1.7m robbery job from Nordsjaelland.

He then went Jock of the north and said: “I've said it many times, for me football is nothing without fans. It's a huge part of Celtic, that's why it's such a big club, because the fan base of Celtic is one of the best in the world. It was so nice to celebrate the goal and, of course, most importantly, the win with them.

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“Of course that kind of moment was one of the reasons I signed for Celtic.

“But I think Celtic has everything and everything I look for. That's why I came.”

Nygren didn’t need Stein’s famous fan line to cosy up to punters as he’d already won them over with his Dons display.

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He said: “I cannot take too much credit for the assist! Reo smashed into the top corner, so it was a brilliant finish.

“I was very happy with the first goal. It was a perfect cross from Kieran. I put it in, celebrated with the fans and the team, so it was amazing.”

Celtic's Benjamin Nygren scores to make it 1-0 against Aberdeen (Image: SNS Group)

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There’s been plenty of talk about what Celtic need in this transfer window – but the midfield is an area stacked with quality.

The Hoops had £11m Arne Engels on the bench on Sunday, alongside £3.5m Paulo Bernardo and smash hit Luke McCowan, while Callum McGregor and Hatate were in the starting line-up.

Nygren already looks to have nailed down his place but he knows there’s going to be a heck of a fight to stay there.

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He said: “Yes, I didn't come here to not play. Of course, I came here to try to come in fast and show my abilities in training and training games. Of course, I came here to help the team win games.

“That's my mentality. There is competition but that is part of football, that's how it is in big clubs.

"It would be weird if there were only 11 good players in such a big team as Celtic.

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“I think we have 25 or 30 good players in Celtic, but only 11 can start the game. It's a very long season.

“Now we've only played our two first games, so we will need a lot of players, a lot of good quality players. I think we have that.

“In terms of my position, I think it's preferable like I started the game on Sunday.

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“But I’m a player that has played a lot of positions. For me, I don't think too much of the positions. It's football, you need football intelligence.”

Benjamin Nygren celebrates after scoring to make it 1-0 (Image: SNS Group)

There’s no doubting Nygren’s football IQ but it’s a different score he has on his mind – topping his impressive goal tally from last term.

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The attacker bagged 15 for Nordsjaelland and another couple for Sweden to earn rave reviews in Denmark and in his homeland and he’s determined to kick on again this season.

He came close to nabbing one on his full debut at Parkhead on Flag Day against St Mirren but Hoops fans have already seen what the 24-year-old can bring to the party.

Nygren can burst into the box from deep, float in from the flank or pick passes in behind.

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It’s early days but he’s already picking up the kind of positions £25m man Matt O’Riley used to occupy for the side.

He had a couple of other opportunities at the weekend too and Nygren is out to be a major part of the Parkhead attack.

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He said: “It was amazing to make my official debut at Celtic Park. It's something I've visualised since I signed for the club. It was an amazing feeling and I can't wait to play many more games.

“I could have scored last week but that's part of football. Sometimes keepers make good saves and that's how it is.

“It’s part of my game, that's also why I scored many goals last season. I can run a lot, so I always come a little bit from behind.

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“That’s how I want to play. I can run a lot so I want to be involved as much as possible and help the team to win, so I was very pleased with my performance and the team’s performance.

“Can I score as many as last season? Everything is possible.”

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