The form of Kyogo Furuhashi has meant that glimpses of Adam Idah have been relatively fleeting since his return to Celtic, and even when he was getting on the pitch in the early part of the season, sightings of the player the club shelled out the thick end of £9m for were few and far between.
Over the past week though, the Idah that so impressed during his loan spell at Celtic from Norwich City in the second half of last term has come to the fore, grabbing his first Champions League goal with a tidy finish against Slovan Bratislava, before bagging a quickfire double to turn the League Cup quarter final tie against Falkirk on its head on Sunday.
As with many strikers of his physical stature, it seems as though it takes Idah a few games to get fully up to speed, but the Republic of Ireland internationalist is now confident that he will soon be motoring along at pull pelt have reacclimatised to the physical demands of playing for Celtic.
While affording Norwich full respect, Idah admitted that he was a little behind his teammates in terms of his preparation when he arrived back in Glasgow, with it taking him a little time to readjust to the rise in intensity that comes with representing such a massive club.
When asked if he had been playing catch-up in terms of his fitness and sharpness, Idah said: “Yeah, one hundred percent.
“Look, I didn’t do much in pre-season. Before anyone jumps on that, that wasn’t me chucking it or anything, it was just how we trained down at Norwich.
“Obviously it’s not as intense down there as it is here, we’re at big clubs and we want to be on it.
“So yeah, when I first came I was probably a week behind, and now I’m getting the minutes in I’m starting to get goals.
“I feel good now, and I’m probably not far behind. I just need to keep sticking with it and I’ll get there.”
Idah was more than aided and abetted in digging Celtic out of the hole a gallant Falkirk side had dug for them at the weekend by the arrival of Nicolas Kuhn into the fray on the hour mark, with the winger proving simply unplayable.
He provided Idah with assists for both of his goals, with the striker relishing the sort of service Kuhn is now producing on a consistent basis.
“He’s been like a new player,” he said.
“Even when I was back at Norwich watching him on the TV, he’s been unbelievable, and I think everyone saw on Sunday what he is made of.
“He made such a big difference, getting two assists and two goals. He’s been top this season.
“I think we work well together. That’s the good thing about this team, everyone is quite close.
“Obviously there are new players this season and we’re still getting to know each other, and out on the pitch as well it is difficult playing with new guys.
“Not many of us have played many minutes together, but it’s still early days and I’m sure we’ll get going soon.”
That bonhomie within the Celtic squad even extends to Idah’s main competition for minutes, as what he describes as the ‘friendly rivalry’ with Kyogo pushing both players on to make the most of whatever game time they are handed by manager Brendan Rodgers.
“Look, I’ve got a job to do and that is to score goals, whether I start or I’m on the bench it doesn’t really matter in my head,” he said.
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“I want to score as many goals as I can this season, just like Kyogo.
“He’s an unbelievable player, and I don’t think it matters to him whether he’s starting or on the bench, we both have the same aim and that is to score goals and help this team. I think we’ve got off to a pretty good start this season.
“Do I think that we bring the best out in each other? Yeah, definitely. It’s friendly competition.
“It’s the same in training, we’re always working hard and there is no bitterness between us. We’re friendly with each other and he helps me just like I help him.
“It’s great, he’s a good player to look up to, a good role model, and I can learn a few things from him on the pitch too.”
So, a memorable week for both Celtic and Idah then, with confidence surging within the ranks after the win over Slovan that this team can achieve something special this season.
From an individual perspective, the goal on his Champions League debut will be one he will never forget, though he isn’t sure if the finish or the impressive knee-slide celebration gave him the most satisfaction.
“Both, to be honest!” he laughed.
“It was a bit of a surreal moment. When the ball hit the back of the net, it didn’t feel real at the start.
“It was just like another goal and then it hit me as I was off celebrating, and that’s when you saw the knee slide come!
“It was a dream come true. I think everyone that plays football wants to play in the Champions League, and to score on my debut was amazing.
“It was a fantastic night, we’ve got off to a good start in the Champions League and now we just want to keep going.
“I’ve got the confidence in myself now, and obviously to go and do it was amazing. It gives me a big boost to go on and drive forward now and to do these things on the European nights, whether that is at Celtic Park or away.
“We are a good team, we know we can beat anyone and that is the belief we need to have, and to have that confidence about the group that we can go on and do great things.
“I think you can see that from the start of the season and the way that we have started, we have been excellent.
“It’s up to us now to keep that going and not drop the focus, and keep driving forward to aim for bigger things.”
