Shim Mheuka has revealed that former Rangers winger Mikey Moore helped convince him that Celtic was the right move for his development.
The Chelsea youngster has quickly made an impression since arriving at Parkhead on loan, both with his early performances on the pitch and the way he has conducted himself when speaking to the media.
Mheuka was desperately unlucky not to have his first Celtic goal against St Mirren at the weekend after his effort was ruled out for offside following a lengthy VAR check for offside, in which they couldn’t draw lines.
The 18-year-old could now be in line for his first Celtic start when Martin O’Neill’s side travel to face St Johnstone tonight.
Mheuka’s move to Parkhead came somewhat out of the blue, with Celtic beating competition from a number of Championship clubs to secure his services.
But before making his decision, the England Under-19 international reached out to someone who knows Glasgow football well.
That was Moore, who spent last season on loan at Rangers from Tottenham Hotspur and quickly became a favourite among the Ibrox support.
The winger scored seven goals and provided four assists during his time with Rangers, with the club understood to have been keen on bringing him back for another loan spell this season.
Moore is now spending the campaign in the Bundesliga with Koln, but remains a close friend of Mheuka through the England youth set-up.
The Chelsea forward revealed that he spoke to Moore before agreeing to join Celtic – although he couldn’t resist a cheeky dig at his friend.
“I’ve been part of the England squad with Mikey. I watched his games from last year,” Mheuka said.
“He’s a good friend of mine so I spoke to him before I came here and he told me it’s a beautiful city and I’d really enjoy it.
“It’s more about what’s best for me than what Mikey has done and what was the best next step in my development.
“But Mikey is a good friend and did really well. He told me I was on the wrong side of Glasgow but I told him, no I’m on the right side of the city!” [The Celtic Way]
Mheuka will now hope to build on his encouraging start to life at Celtic as O’Neill considers his options for the trip to Perth.
With Yang Hyun-jun away on international duty, the teenager could be handed his first Celtic start as the Hoops look to maintain their perfect Premiership record.
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