ANALYSIS He's fast, confident and strong but Celtic's new forward is far from the finished article, writes Hugh MacDonald
Neil Lennon, with a smile, later remarked that he would have to make the most of the forward in the short time he was available to the club. This was so wry it could have been poured into a large whisky.
Bangura’s ambition is, however, understandable. He has travelled from Sierra Leone to Sweden and now to Glasgow on the wings of some extraordinary comments from such as Alex Miller, his one-time head coach in Stockholm, and Henrik Larsson, now coaching Helsingborgs, who are not known for the extravagance of their praise.
The fanfare has to be accompanied by the realisation that Bangura is far from complete. Lennon accepts that Bangura’s naivete in press conferences is matched by other failings of youth. The Celtic manager paid £2.2m for the striker but has emphasised that Bangura requires some attention on the training field.
This rawness was apparent on Saturday when the forward replaced Anthony Stokes in the latter stages of the 4-0 victory over Motherwell in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.
His technique was shaky but there was also enough in the striker’s performance to nudge Lennon in the direction of finding a jersey for Bangura at some stage of two matches that dominate the immediate agenda at the club.
The trips to Atletico Madrid and to Rangers pose intriguing questions of Lennon. Does he bring back Glenn Loovens to central defence and switch Charlie Mulgrew to left-back?
Or does he leave Mulgrew at centre-back and bring in Mark Wilson to defend the left flank? Does he play five in midfield? Or can he play Stokes and Gary Hooper together in an away leg in Europe?
Bangura gives his manager further pause for thought. His touch may have been a tad too solid on Saturday but he is fast, willing and strong. His goal record at IFK Varnamo and AIK suggest he can finish.
Bangura is the sort of forward who keeps defenders in a state of wariness because he plays on their shoulder and moves into good positions on either side of a centre-back.
It is difficult to envisage Bangura starting against Atletico or Rangers but he has the capability to be used to some effect from the bench. “Every player is looking for the opportunity to play against a team like Atletico Madrid. If I get that opportunity I need to make the most of it,” said Bangura.
He is also relishing the opportunity to savour the atmosphere of the Old Firm match. “When I watched those games [on TV] it was like there was no space anywhere inside the stadium,” said Bangura. “It looked like a nice derby,” he said with a touch of understatement.
“When I went back to Sierra Leone I would watch the Rangers against Celtic match. It’s a poor country but everyone likes football. Maybe I will start a Celtic supporters’ club. Since I have come here everyone I know has been asking for the Celtic jersey. That makes me laugh.”
Bangura has some experience of playing in Europe, having been on the losing side last year in a qualifier for the Champions League against Rosenburg. “I played a very good game, winning the man-of-the-match award,” said Bangura.
Ludicrously, the young man has already been compared to Larsson, whose European experience extends to scoring two goals in a UEFA Cup final for Celtic and then turning the tide in a Champions League final for Barcelona.
Bangura said: “I cannot compare myself with Larsson. He was a great player with so many qualities. I have my own qualities. It’s difficult for me to say what those qualities are; that’s up to other people to decide when they see me on the pitch.”
First impressions are that Celtic have bought a strong, quick, confident forward. There will be room for such a player at both the Vicente Calderon and Ibrox.
Bangura, who made an impact with his first pronouncements of a premature departure from the club, is likely to be given the chance in both matches to extricate his foot from his mouth and apply it to some effect on the playing field.
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