A number of Celtic fans have taken to social media to herald the performance of new arrival Youssouf Mulumbu after he made his first appearance for the club on Sunday.
The 31-year-old, who signed on a free transfer at Parkhead, was named among the starting XI by Brendan Rodgers to take on his former side Kilmarnock, having previously only been seen on the substitutes’ bench, with Killie snatching a late winner in a 2-1 defeat for the Hoops.
However, despite the result, the 5’8″ (source: Transfermarkt) midfielder’s first outing had the fans absolutely drooling on Twitter, with one supporter compared him to Lionel Messi while another said he was “made of bricks”.
This is Futbol has gathered a selection of the supporters’ tweets:
Liking the look of mulumbu here! Showing himself for the ball everytime?
— We’re Glasgow Celtic? (@WereGlasgowCelt) September 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/ryanmcginlayy/status/1043834581177311232
I like Mulumbu. Gives you a good dig in the middle of the park. Needed in games like this #celtic
— Robert Clark (@RabClark5) September 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/Daniel_6_G/status/1043833521561907201
https://twitter.com/johnr4444/status/1043837362965532673
Mulumbu is not afraid to hit a pass up top if he sees its on. Makes a change from the side to side, back, then side to side we have had recently.
— Críostóir (@mcgceltic) September 23, 2018
Everyone doing ok on an impossible surface, Mulumbu the stand out of the fringe players for me. . . need another goal to see this out.
— CC (@TheLeatherBelts) September 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/90MinuteCynic/status/1043830268736544769
Mulumbu is made of bricks man ???
— Conor (@ConorM67_) September 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/EddiePower88/status/1043837225392320512
Opinion
It might have been the familiar setting at Kilmarnock but Mulumbu looked right at home in the Celtic midfield – and it is no wonder the supporters were so happy with what they saw despite suffering a bitterly disappointing defeat. A powerful presence in the centre, he also possesses great vision and technique, and for a 31-year-old he had plenty in the tank to keep Killy under pressure. While Scott Brown and Olivier Ntcham are probably Brendan Rodgers’ first choice in the middle of the park, Mulumbu looks to have enough to put pressure on the pair as the season progresses, and will no doubt prove to be a worthy replacement as the manager chooses to rotate as a result of their European campaign. It was exactly what Celtic needed too, with a lack of quality options at Rodgers’ disposal heading into the new season, and snapping him up for a free transfer looks a brilliant bit of business.