MOHAMED Elyounoussi has hailed his Celtic team mate Christopher Jullien for bouncing back from his disappointing Kilmarnock display in style against KR Reykjavik – and backed the centre half to be a regular scorer this season.
Jullien was criticised for pundits and supporters after the Parkhead club were held to a 1-1 draw by Kilmarnock on the artificial pitch at Rugby Park earlier this month in just their second Premiership fixture of the 2020/21 campaign.
He struggled to cope with the physical challenge presented by opposition forward Nicke Kabamba and gifted the home team a cheap first-half penalty which Chris Burke netted to ensure that Alex Dyer’s men picked up a point.
But the defender set up the winger for the opening goal in the Champions League first qualifying round tie against Reykjavik in Glasgow on Tuesday evening with an accurate long ball upfield – and then netted the third himself after meeting a Ryan Christie corner with a powerful header.
Elyounoussi believes Jullien’s personal performance against the Icelanders swiftly silenced his detractors and predicted the £7m signing will now go from strength to strength and contribute more goals both at home and abroad.
“Look, we know he is a good player,” he said. “Everyone can have a bad day. Even I had a bad day against Kilmarnock. They also did good that day and defended well so it was a tough game.
“I don’t know about any criticism Chris got. But on Tuesday he was really good. I think all the players played well. But it was a good clean sheet for the four at the back.
“Chris also had an amazing pass to me for the first goal, before scoring himself. We know he is a threat in front of the box, especially at set pieces, so I am sure he will score more this season.”
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