Kelechi Iheanacho marked his return from injury as Celtic secured a 4-2 victory over Utrecht in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Goals from Benjamin Nygren, a Nick Viergever own goal and an Arne Engels penalty handed the Hoops a commanding 3-0 lead inside the opening 30 minutes. 

However, strikes from Dani de Wit and Adrian Blake reduced the deficit for the visitors before Auston Trusty sealed the victory in the 66th minute.

Iheanacho made his comeback 46 days after suffering a hamstring injury that had kept him sidelined since December.

The former Leicester City forward featured for 22 minutes after coming off the bench in the second half, bringing an end to a spell on the sidelines that began after the League Cup final defeat to St Mirren on December 14.

Iheanacho’s injury absence had also ruled him out of Nigeria’s squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, denying him the opportunity to represent the Super Eagles at the tournament.

Before suffering the hamstring issue, Iheanacho registered three goals and one assist in ten appearances across all competitions for the Hoops, underlining his impact during the early stages of his Celtic career.

The 4-2 win ensured the Scottish side finished in the playoff phase of the competition after narrowly missing out on an automatic qualification spot.

Wale Adejumo