Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic are looking at Ryan Mmaee but the Morocco international is ‘sure to stay’ at Ferencvaros, the club’s sporting director Tamas Hajnal tells Hungarian channel M1.
Now, they do say assumptions tend to make an ‘ass’ out of all of us but, if we were to hazard a guess, we’d suggest that Ryan Mmaee was not exactly a household name in Glasgow’s East End a couple of weeks ago.
Then again, you could say the same about Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Carl Starfelt, Josip Juranovic and Giorgios Giakoumakis before they were pictured arm in arm with Postecoglou, a green and white scarf hanging around their necks.
After a remarkable transformation in 2021/22, Celtic’s recruitment team probably deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Now, YouTube compilations are never the most accurate representation of a player’s talents. But Mmaee, scorer of 19 goals in 37 games for double-winners Ferencvaros in 2021/22, certainly passes the initial eye test.
He’s got explosive pace, he’s an emphatic finisher on either foot and, by the looks of it, he’s equally comfortable on both flanks too. In addition to his 19 goals, Mmaee also contributed 11 assists to the cause last term.
Celtic want Ryan Mmaee from Ferencvaros
The Daily Record claimed earlier in May that Celtic have scouted the seven-cap Moroccan ‘extensively’ in recent months, the Hoops aiming to add extra quality to their ranks ahead of their long-awaited return to the Champions League group-stages.
But, after being consigned to a spell on the sidelines following a recent knee injury, Celtic may be forced to wait until Mmaee completes his rehabilitation at the Hungarian champions.
“At the moment, I can’t report anything specific about this,” Hajnal says when quizzed about Celtic’s interest. “Ryan is recovering from his injury anyway and is sure to stay with us this summer.”
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This, then, may be a deal Celtic will have to place on the backburner until the New Year.
It’s not as if Postecoglou is short of attacking options, either, with the Premiership winners boasting a treasure trove of gems large enough to drive history’s greatest pirates to distraction.
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