Former Celtic defender stars for RC Lens in surprise Super Cup win over PSG
Former Celtic defender Maik Nawrocki yesterday starred for Lens in the their 1-0 French Super Cup win over back-to-back Champions League and European Super Cup winners PSG.
Last year’s Ligue one runners up beat the Ligue one winners and the superstars of PSG 1-0 thanks to a 32nd minute Florian Thauvin strike, and despite being reduced to ten men just before the break when young defender Kyllian Antonio was ordered off for a reckless challenge, Lens held on for a well deserved victory.
German born Polish centre back Nawrocki played the entire 90 minutes for his new club, and helped shut out the Parisian superstars, as Lens made a big statement heading into the new French campaign.
Nawrocki’s impressive performance once again has Celtic supporters all scratching their heads masking the same question, and that is why didn’t the big centre back ever get a fair crack of the whip at Celtic?
Nawrocki who was signed from Legia Warsaw for a reported fee of £4.3 million back in the summer of 2023, made a grand total of 18 appearances for the club, before being sold to Lens a few weeks ago, on the back of spending a season long loan spell at German second tier side Hannover 96.
Despite impressing in his rare outings in the hoops, Nawrocki was often overlooked not just in the starting XI, but multiple match day squads.
He did have his injury problems, but he was fit more than he was on the treatment table, and yet he couldn’t get a sniff of first team action, even when we were struggling in the central defensive area.
Nawrocki’s situation mirrors that of fellow centre back Gustaf Lagerbielke, who arrived in Glasgow in the same transfer window as the big Pole, and just like Nawrocki, the Swede has gone on to shine at a decent level playing for Braga and representing his country at the recent World Cup finals.
That’s not to suggest that the current Celtic squad is short on quality at the centre-back positions. With Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty and Liam Scales we are well covered with quality performers.
