Earlier this week, Kasper Hogh was left out of the squad selected by national team coach Brian Riemer for the upcoming matches against Portugal and Wales. The forward came off the bench in all four Nations League matches during the previous international break, but has been dropped from the squad entirely following a long goal drought for his club, Celtic.
On Thursday, Hogh reached a milestone of 15 matches without finding the back of the net, as Celtic defeated Besiktas 3–2 in the Europa League.
However, Celtic manager Martin O’Neill is pleased with Hogh’s performance against the Turkish side and has expressed his support for the Dane—whose direct rival for the position, Camilo Duran, is currently more prolific in front of goal.
“I want my central strikers to be able to hold up the ball, and that is exactly what he did.” He isn’t Duran. He isn’t a dribbler. But if he can perform like this for us against strong opponents, it puts him in a good position going forward,” says O’Neill, according to “The Scotsman”.
Throughout this goal drought, Kasper Hogh has faced extremely harsh criticism in Scotland.
Duran, has scored seven goals in his last eight matches. O’Neill acknowledges that, unlike Hogh, Duran can also play as a winger, though he is at his best in a central position.
For now, however, Ho gh retains the manager’s confidence, and O’Neill predicts that better times lie ahead. “I wanted to see him show strength and fight when the ball was played up to him. He did that very well and brought his teammates into the play.”
“Remember, this guy has scored goals in the Champions League. This performance (against Besiktas – ed.) will boost his confidence, as he succeeded so well in that aspect of the game.”
Kasper Høgh became Celtic’s record signing when he completed a £11 million transfer (plus add-ons) following a period where Hogh, playing for Bodo/Glimt, had scored goals against illustrious opponents including Inter, Manchester City, and Atlético Madrid in the Champions League.
In his second match for Celtic, Hogh scored a hat-trick in a 5-1 victory over Kilmarnock. To date, these remain his only goals for the club. However, during this long goal drought, he has provided four assists for his teammates.