Celtic striker Kelechi Iheanacho believes it's the right time to thrive in Glasgow

Celtic striker Kelechi Iheanacho scored a late, late winner on his debut for the club and said he believes now is the time for him to impress after missing out on a move to Glasgow previously.

The Nigerian international joined the Premiership champions a day after the transfer deadline, having been released by Sevilla a day earlier.

Iheanacho had previously been lined up for a move to the club, with a proposed loan move in January having failed to come to fruition.

The striker has made an instant impact now he is a Celtic player, after scoring a stoppage-time penalty to give his side a 2-1 win at Kilmarnock on Sunday. He shrugged off the previous failed move and said what was important was that he had been reunited with his former Leicester boss, Brendan Rodgers, and could now look forward to new challenges.

“We don’t need to talk about that now. We just need to put that aside and move on to the future,” he said.

“Of course, I always wanted to come to Celtic.

“It’s a massive club and obviously I know the manager as well. It didn’t work out that time, but now I think it’s the right time.”

The striker enjoyed his moment at Rugby Park as he got to share celebrations with a Celtic support who have been unhappy with the club’s overall transfer business.

“It was a massive feeling,” he said. “Everyone was happy, and I could see how happy the fans were and how they felt when they jumped on the pitch.

“This is the moment that you have to celebrate with the fans because it’s a massive win, a massive three points. I thought it deserved to be celebrated.

“Going forward, I think it will give me the confidence to show my quality for the club.”

Iheanacho says he believes his performance off the bench showed he is fit and ready to play a major role, including a starting role against Partick Thistle in the Premier Sports Cup next weekend. And after getting off the mark quickly with Celtic, he isn’t placing any importance on a poor scoring record over the last year with Sevilla and Middlesbrough.

“As a football player, you get this all the time,” he said. “When it’s not going really well, you just need to be strong. You don’t need to lose your mind.

“It’s a professional game, so you need to just focus and keep doing the work until it clicks.”