Mohamed Elyounoussi made eight league starts in his debut season at Southampton and most of them came under Mark Hughes’ guidance.
Ralph Hasenhüttl was appointed as Hughes’ successor last December and the forward struggled for minutes after the Austrian took charge of the South Coast club.
The Saints manager made it clear to the Norway international that he will have to find a solution if he is unwilling to be a bit squad player at St Mary’s, and in the final days of the last transfer window, Celtic took the 25-year-old on a season-long loan deal where he has so far managed a goal and two assists in all competitions.
Speaking to Dagbladet, the Southampton owned player explained how a conversation with Celtic manager Neil Lennon convinced him to join the Scottish champions.
“I had a chat with the coach and I was going to ask him about what he expected and tactical things,” he said.
Elyounoussi is enjoying life in Scotland, but admitted Celtic’s high standards means anything less than a victory isn’t good enough for them.
“It’s a big club. The fans are crazy and love football. It’s for better or worse. If you win matches, then you are fine, if you lose, then you have all against you,” Elyounoussi stressed.
“There are tough matches. We meet teams that want to beat us, it’s kind of a cup final every match we play where nothing but victory is good enough.”
“There’s a lot of the same thing we had in Basel really, so I’m a little familiar with it. But ultimately it is also that this year we can compete in the Europa League and do well there.”
