Jonjoe Kenny on keeping tabs on Robert Lewandowski and his family's Celtic connections

While the standard of the Scottish top flight may not be quite at the same level as the Bundesliga, Kenny now hopes to take as much from his spell at a massive club like Celtic as he did when he ventured to the continent last season.

"Going over to Germany was unbelievable,” Kenny said. “I played against world-class players and it really helped me push on my career.

"It was a good experience to test myself and see where I am in terms of my development.

"It was good. The players you face have quality but you have to do what you can and defend against them.

"All in all, it was great to go and test myself against those top players.

"The different experiences are all good and going to Germany took me out my comfort zone especially.

"Personally to go and live abroad was massive as I was a homebird. The biggest challenge was always going to be off the field as on the pitch, you just love playing.

"To go and live out there on my own was a real different experience for me but these things shape you and help you as a person.

"It was a fantastic experience for me, I learned the language and added another string to my bow. I feel I also grew as a person.

"In modern football, you never know where you are going to be. Now I am in Glasgow and it's not as far away from home.

"It's similar to Liverpool and that meant I was able to settle in quickly.”

If Glasgow itself seems familiar to Scouser Kenny, then Celtic as a club certainly are. Pictures of his cousin wearing a Celtic kit as a kid have been circulating online this week, and he says that the club were always part of his background growing up.

“I’ve seen the picture,” he said. “It was my cousin and he’s got family from Glasgow who are big Celtic fans. When I was younger, I used to have the kits and the tracksuits and that. Everyone knows Celtic is a worldwide massive club.

“His family would come down to Liverpool and I knew them well. When I signed, it was a big deal for people in the family, and especially for me to come to a big club like this.”

The connections between Kenny and Celtic don’t end there, with former Celtic favourite Alan Stubbs among those who made the biggest contribution to his development as a player at Goodison Park.

“I know Stubbsy well,” he said. “Stubbsy means a lot to me. When I was younger, he was reserve team coach and he put faith in me at a young age to come up and play for the Reserves at 16 and I loved playing under him.

“He got the best out of me and helped me on and off the field. He’s one of the best and he’s a top man.

“I’ve had a few [big influences in my career]. David Unsworth was brilliant, Stubbsy was a massive influence when I was younger.

“Big Dunc (Ferguson) as well. He helped me along the way too. He was a legend for me and a legend at Everton as well.”

It is too early to say whether Kenny’s stay at Celtic Park will be as fleeting as the initial loan deal until the end of this season suggests, with the England under-21 international simply focused on doing all he can to help Celtic turn around their flagging fortunes.

“It’s more just taking it as it comes I know that’s a boring answer, but I can’t look too far ahead,” he said. “Just game by game and we’ll see where it takes us at the end of the season.

“Right now, it’s just focusing on the next game coming up.

"Everyone knows how the season has gone so far but we have three or four months left to put that behind us.

"You can see for the past nine years just how successful this club has been, winning so many trophies.

"You can't forget that. Okay, it's not been a great six months but look at the nine years and all the Trebles.

"Sometimes things might not go the right way but we still have that winning mentality.”