Callum Osmand insists Kasper Hogh will soon come good for Celtic, as he battles to prise the misfiring striker’s jersey from his grasp. The £11million Danish frontman drew another blank on Thursday night as the Hoops were thrashed 4-1 by Benfica in Lisbon.
Hogh was hooked at half-time as his alarming goal drought stretched to 13 games for club and country. The record signing arrived at Parkhead with a glittering reputation after his goalscoring exploits for Bodo/Glimt in last season’s Champions League, including a deadly double against Man City. But the Denmark international has managed just one goal in his 11 outings in green and white — a hat-trick against Kilmarnock on August 8.
Osmand backs under-fire team-mate
Promising youngster Osmand replaced the 25-year-old at the break against Benfica and is now battling for a regular starting spot. But the former Fulham hitkid reckons there is plenty more to come from his under-fire team-mate, having seen first-hand what he can do on the training pitch. And Osmand believes it’s only a matter of time before Hogh starts delivering in competitive action.
He said: "Yeah, Kasper's a great guy. He knows how to act and how to hold himself and he's a top professional. I don't think I've ever seen him put a bad thing in his body, but, yeah, he knows what he's doing. Obviously, his goals speak for themselves at Bodo and I'm sure it will come. He's a top player."
"I see him every day in training and, yeah, he's a really, really great guy, top player, and he helps me a lot. So, yeah, I'm sure it will come. He's a really, really top player."
Close call in Lisbon
Hogh came agonisingly close to ending his drought in Lisbon, only to see a point-blank effort crash back off the post in the first half. And Osmand reckons one goal could be all it takes to get the struggling forward firing again.
He added: "Yeah, I think so. I think it is a lot about confidence, the attacking positions, and when your confidence is high, you play better and sometimes it's about getting that goal, but he's obviously a top professional. He knows what he's doing and I'm sure it will come. He's been in the game for a long time and he'll know better than me."
Osmand was one of few shining lights for Celtic as he made his injury comeback at the Estadio da Luz. The rising star had been sidelined since the end of August with a troublesome ankle issue.
Osmand's relief at return
But Osmand was relieved to be back on the pitch as he fired himself into contention for a start today against Hearts — five months on from his title-clinching goal in May. He added: "Yeah, it's a really good feeling to be back on. It's obviously a tough one to come into. Benfica were a really, really good side. But, yeah, it felt good. You see when you're out there, you don't really think about anything but playing. But, yeah, I'm so glad to be back on the pitch and hopefully I can stay on it this time."
