Mohamed Elyounoussi on his toughest time at Celtic | OneFootball

Mohamed Elyounoussi has reflected on the most difficult period of his Celtic career, claiming he was unfairly blamed following an infamous phone incident in the dugout...

Mohamed Elyounoussi of Celtic celebratesl after scoring a hattrick during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Motherwell and Celtic at Fir Park on November 08, 2020. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

The winger, who currently plays for Danish Superliga side Copenhagen, was seen looking at his phone in the stands during Celtic’s Europa League clash with Sparta Prague in 2020.

Supporters, pundits and the Celtic manager himself criticised the former Southampton and Molde forward for his actions, particularly as Lennon’s side were facing difficulties both on and off the pitch at the time.

The Norwegian international has since shared his own account of what happened. Speaking via Record Celtic podcast, Elyounoussi said: “So, what happened was I was subbed off and I went to shower – I think it was cold at that time – I got changed to the tracksuit we used and I had my phone in my pocket.

“I was watching the game and then I was thinking, ‘Oh, let me check the results from the other games.’ So I did that for, I would say, 10 seconds tops. But when you’re watching on TV, 10 seconds is quite long.”

“I didn’t even text or something, I just looked at the scores. So it was really bad, and we were in a bad run of games. I think at that time, we were under pressure, and I would say I was probably the scapegoat from that game.

Elyounoussi added: “They used me as a scapegoat, and, to be fair, looking back on it, is very unprofessional to do. So you know, I take the blame. And I knew there would be eyes on me, and I had to talk with Neil Lennon and I was like, ‘Hands up, that was bad for me.’”

Mohamed Elyounoussi of Celtic holds the match ball after scoring a hattrick during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Motherwell and Celtic at Fir Park on November 08, 2020.. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Elyounoussi enjoyed a two-year loan spell with Celtic, during which he helped the club achieve an historic Quadruple Treble. Accumulating over 67 appearances for the club, he netted 25 goals and provided 14 assists across all competitions.

Just three days after the incident, he justified Lennon’s trust by netting a hat-trick in Celtic’s 4-1 victory against Motherwell at Fir Park.

“Luckily, the manager gave me a chance to play the next game, and I remember I was like, ‘I really have to perform now,’” he said.

“Because not only the experts, but some of the fans as well, I got messages. So I knew that I had to make this right, and I did the next game. So that was a relief! I responded in the perfect way anyway, and then the story just lasted for a few days.”

Conor Spence

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