Mohamed Elyounoussi spent a couple of seasons on loan at Celtic from Southampton. And all things considered, he did have a pretty solid individual time with the Hoops and perhaps should have played more regularly than he did.
He made a very bright start to life at Celtic but he went through injury problems in his first season on loan at Parkhead. He did show enough promise to return for a second stint though and during the course of the 2020/21 campaign, he was one of the club’s few bright spots.
Elyounoussi failed to either score or assist during his first season at Southampton but appears to have developed a lot during his stay at Celtic and is now making a mark at St Mary’s Stadium. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has scored 4 goals and provided 2 assists in 7 appearances this season for The Saints.
Thus, he must be pretty happy with his stint at Celtic. But Elyounoussi, who scored in the Glasgow Derby last season, has revealed that he has one regret from his time with the Hoops. As reported by The Guardian, he said:
"“When you score in an empty stadium, it’s like scoring in a garden.“It is so quiet and you do not actually feel anything. That was my only regret. It was a shame I couldn’t feel it [the atmosphere]. We played in a [Scottish] Cup final against Rangers and it was electric. The pitch was shaking. It was something I never had before.”"
Elyounoussi could have been a great fit in Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side
One could argue that Elyounoussi was not given as many chances as he deserved during his time at Celtic, especially in the previous season.
He was arguably one of the best if not the very best player for Celtic for large parts of the 2020/21 season but then, he had to spend periods out of the first-team picture as well, depending on the system that the club would try to play.
One has to feel that Postecoglou’s style of football would suit Elyounoussi very well and get the best out of his abilities.
At this point of time though, it is hard to see him represent Celtic anytime in the near future, with Elyounoussi slowly finding his feet at Southampton now.