When Nicolas Kuhn joined Ajax as an 18-year-old, one piece of advice from his coach at the Dutch club’s renowned youth academy struck a particular chord.
Michael Reiziger, a former Champions League winner who became a mentor for Kuhn, gathered his squad around him to dispense a homespun but impactful pearl of wisdom.
‘Michael was a great guy and I remember him speaking to us about our careers that day at Ajax,’ recalled the Celtic winger.
‘He said: “You will all be professionals, it just depends on you where you are going to land”.
‘Every career takes a different path but, right now, I am on a good road and I want that to continue.’
Kuhn’s journey has been a winding one at times, taking him through the youth systems at RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich either side of his two-year stint with Ajax.
Kuhn (right) celebrates with Matt O'Riley after scoring in last weekend's league win over Hibs
The winger tucked home to send Celtic on their way to consecutive Premiership wins
A first-team breakthrough eluded him at all of those clubs, finally coming his way with his move to Rapid Vienna in 2022.
His first half-season with Celtic after the Scottish champions paid £3million to sign him in January this year was a qualified success, Kuhn scoring three times in 18 appearances as he helped Brendan Rodgers’ side claim a domestic double.
The 24-year-old appears to be firing on all cylinders in the current campaign. He has followed up an eye-catching pre-season, which included scoring a brace in the victory over Manchester City in North Carolina, by finding the net in both of Celtic’s league wins over Kilmarnock and Hibs so far.
Kuhn feels he is now ready to fulfil the potential which saw him win the prestigious Fritz Walter Medal, named after Germany’s 1954 World Cup winning captain, awarded to his country’s outstanding young players.
He landed the under-19 prize in 2019, joining an illustrious roll of honour which includes Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, Mario Gotze and Kai Havertz.
Kuhn has started the new season in fine form, netting in both of his top-flight appearances
The 24-year-old also found the net in the champions' opening-day win over Kilmarnock
‘That award is a really big thing in Germany,’ said Kuhn. ‘I was very proud and honoured to be chosen for the gold medal in 2019.
‘I never saw it as added pressure on me. I just viewed it as recognition for what I had done in the youths.
‘It was a big thing back then but now I want to show why I won that award. I still have ambitions to play for Germany alongside those other guys.
‘I played in all the Germany age groups, from Under-15 up to Under-20. I was always one of the leaders in the teams. I was captain at times, and of course I want to show it on the big stage one day.’
If Kuhn is to achieve the full international recognition he craves, making an impact in the Champions League would certainly help.
He is eagerly anticipating making his debut in the tournament as Celtic look forward to the group stage draw at the end of this month.
‘I can’t wait for the Champions League,’ he said. ‘It was one of the reasons why I came to Celtic.
‘I am really looking forward to the draw to see who we get in the tournament. There are a lot of great teams we could draw. I wish we could play them all.
‘It would be nice to maybe play against Leipzig or Bayern Munich, two of my former clubs. However, I can’t pick out one team that I want more than any other.
‘I always loved playing in the UEFA Youth League with Leipzig and Ajax. It was good to challenge yourself against teams from different countries and I had some nice experiences.
‘We travelled to different cities and played against top sides. I enjoyed that tournament, I did well in it and now I can’t wait to experience the real Champions League with Celtic.
‘Playing Man City and Chelsea in America this pre-season also gave us a taste of what we can expect against opposition like that.’
Celtic’s focus remains fixed on domestic matters for the moment as they entertain Hibs this afternoon in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup.
It was a piece of silverware which eluded them last season when they crashed out at the same stage of the tournament at Kilmarnock. Kuhn admits there is added hunger among the Celtic players to put that right by claiming another domestic treble this time around.
‘I wasn’t here then but there is a lot of motivation in the squad to do well in every competition this season, including this one,’ he added.
‘That is the target for us and we are all looking forward to going into this game with a lot of energy, and hopefully getting a win.
‘We are all feeling good and are ready for the game. I am personally feeling confident and we want another good performance.
Kuhn managed just three goals in 18 appearances for the club in the second half of last season
‘We have to bring the same energy on the pitch as we did last weekend against Hibs. But this is a different game, it’s a cup tie, a one-off game and we have to get through. However, we are prepared for that and we have been playing very well.’
The tie could see a second ‘debut’ for Adam Idah after the Irish striker completed his £9.5m return to Celtic from Norwich City on a permanent basis this week after his successful loan spell in the second half of last season.
‘We were so happy to see Adam back because we had a good time together,’ said Kuhn. ‘We all hoped he would return. Adam offers a lot to us. He is a different type of striker and he scored so many big goals in important games.
‘It’s always good to have more quality in the squad and he is also a big character. Adam is fun to be around and we are happy he is a Celtic player permanently.’
