Some Celtic fans had started to question former Manchester City youngster Olivier Ntcham following a couple of disappointing displays.
Olivier Ntcham needed that. Celtic’s 1-0 win against Dundee on Saturday was far more comfortable than the scoreline suggests but it was only The Hoops’ French midfielder who managed to find the back of the net across 90 tense minutes at Parkhead.
And what a strike it was. Driving forward from midfield, Ntcham let rip with a powerful bouncing bomb of a shot which evaded Dundee ‘keeper Scott Bain and nestled into the far corner in the second half.
It was the 21-year-old’s second league goal for Celtic, his first since early August, and a fine way to get the champions back on track after the disappointing home draw with Hibernian last time out.
It was also the kind of match-winning quality that explains why Celtic paid Manchester City £4 million for the talented Frenchman in the summer, per the Daily Record. Ntcham may have failed to make the grade at The Etihad but, during a loan spell at Italian side Genoa, demonstrated that he is one of the most promising young midfielders around.
And Ntcham’s stunning strike against Dundee could hardly have come at a better time. After all, a number of fans were starting to question the France Under-21 international following a string of below-par displays.
While Brendan Rodgers side don’t look quite as dominant or fluid with captain Scott Brown on the sidelines, Ntcham stepped up to the plate and scored the goal that saves Celtic from two successive league games without victory.
The former Le Havre youth has a long way to go before he can replicate the influence of Brown but a timely reminder of his potential should have the critics silenced for a few days at least.
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