Kris Boyd highlights telling Kasper Høgh moment in Celtic win

Kris Boyd believes a key incident during Celtic’s 2-0 win over Motherwell exposed Kasper Høgh’s current lack of confidence in front of goal.

The Danish striker contributed to Celtic’s second goal at Fir Park, choosing to square the ball for Benjamin Nygren, who calmly converted. It was an intelligent team decision and helped Martin O’Neill’s team recover from three consecutive defeats.

Nevertheless, Boyd feels that a striker enjoying full confidence would probably have attempted to finish the chance himself.

Speaking to SunSport, the former Rangers striker suggested that Høgh was in a stronger position to shoot before deciding to pass. Boyd called the opportunity a “golden” one for Høgh to end his difficult scoring spell and believes the forward effectively turned down the chance.

Boyd questions Høgh’s confidence

3rd May 2026; Easter Road, Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Premiership Football, Hibernian versus Celtic; Ex Rangers player Kris Boyd

Boyd admitted that Høgh has not yet reached the standard Celtic supporters expected following his arrival, particularly considering the significant transfer fee involved.

However, he believes Celtic fans are entitled to expect more from an £11million signing.

Boyd compared Høgh’s situation with Youssef Chermiti, who faced criticism at Rangers after arriving for a substantial fee and initially struggling to make an impact.

For Boyd, however, Høgh’s confidence remains the main issue.

A striker must be willing to shoot

Boyd’s argument is straightforward: confidence returns when a striker repeatedly puts himself in scoring positions and refuses to worry about missing chances.

He believes Høgh should stop thinking about the possibility of failure and simply attack opportunities when they appear. If a striker is running through on goal and has a clear sight of the target, Boyd believes the natural response should be to take the shot.

The former Rangers forward pointed to another first-half incident in which Høgh appeared hesitant rather than attacking the opportunity decisively. That hesitation, in his view, is another indication that the striker is currently short of confidence.

When a forward is confident, those decisions tend to happen instinctively. A player in form does not have to calculate whether to shoot or pass. The sight of goal creates an immediate reaction, with the striker believing the ball should end up in the net.

That instinct appears to be missing from Høgh at present.

Nygren goal creates a debate

Criticising the striker for creating a goal would therefore be harsh.

However, Boyd’s point is not necessarily that Høgh made the wrong team decision. Instead, he believes the decision revealed something about the forward’s current mentality.

Høgh had a better opportunity to score himself, and Boyd believes a confident striker would have backed his ability and attempted the finish.

That difference is important. Høgh made the correct decision for the team on Sunday, but his hesitation may demonstrate why he has struggled to find the net consistently.

Celtic players get a feel for the Fir Park pitch ahead of the 12pm kick-off.

The Celts take in their surroundings before the Sunday lunchtime clash.

Pre-match media duties pitchside before Motherwell v Celtic.

The warm-up gets under way at Fir Park.

The travelling support unveil a giant tifo for Celtic legend Danny McGrain before kick-off.

Both sides line up before kick-off.

Camilo Durán drills a low shot from the edge of the box to put Celtic ahead on nine minutes.

Durán wheels away after his opener

The Celtic players mob the scorer.

Captain Callum McGregor, one of the men pulling the strings in midfield.

Durán was a constant threat in the first half.

Celtic dominated possession from the first whistle.

Celtic win the ball back high up the pitch.

Celtic keep the ball moving in front of the dugouts.

Celtic pile on the pressure in the Motherwell box.

Benjamin Nygren finds the net to double Celtic’s lead just before the hour.

Nygren wheels away after making it 2-0.

On his knees: Nygren enjoys the moment.

Team-mates join Nygren to celebrate the second goal.

back in a Celtic shirt after 534 days out injured.

Jota and McGregor salute the travelling support after the final whistle.

Handshakes with the officials at full time.

Job done: the Celtic players head for the tunnel, Jota among them.

A salute to the away end after a comfortable win.

The players thank the travelling support.

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill at Fir Park for his 250th game in charge.

A difficult scoring run

Høgh has scored just once in his last 13 appearances for Celtic and Denmark, an extended spell that has inevitably placed greater pressure on the summer signing.

His only goal during that period came in spectacular fashion when he scored a hat-trick against Kilmarnock. Those three finishes showcased the qualities Celtic believed they were buying: intelligent movement, sharp positioning and the ability to punish defenders inside the penalty area.

Since then, however, his performances have been examined much more closely.

Celtic suffered defeats against LASK, Ferencváros and Rangers, and Høgh’s inability to provide goals has become part of the wider frustration surrounding the team.

Motherwell offered encouragement

There were nevertheless positive signs from Høgh at Fir Park despite his failure to score.

The striker attempted five shots, although none found the target. He also found himself in promising positions, including one opportunity created by an excellent delivery from Colby Donovan.

Høgh was unable to turn that cross into a goal, but his willingness to continue making runs and finding positions inside the penalty area remains encouraging.

Boyd believes that is exactly what Høgh must continue doing. The chances will eventually come, and the striker must be prepared to keep shooting rather than allowing the fear of another miss to affect his decisions.

Celtic’s record signing under pressure

The pressure surrounding Høgh has inevitably been increased by his transfer fee. Celtic reportedly paid £11million to sign him during the summer, making expectations considerably higher than they would be for an inexpensive squad addition.

There is also the question of his role.

Høgh has frequently been asked to operate as a target man, despite developing his reputation at Bodø/Glimt as a penalty-box striker whose biggest strengths came from receiving service around the six-yard area.

That tactical responsibility may have affected the type and number of chances he receives. Celtic need to find ways of putting him into situations where his natural instincts can return.

O’Neill will hope that happens quickly, particularly with important European fixtures approaching.

For Celtic, the priority is obvious: they need their expensive forward to rediscover his scoring touch before bigger European and domestic tests arrive and pressure grows even further soon.

Benfica opportunity awaits

The next opportunity could come against Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday night.

For Høgh, the match represents another chance to silence some of the criticism and rediscover the confidence that produced his Kilmarnock hat-trick.

Celtic supporters will not necessarily demand a spectacular performance. They will want to see the striker attacking chances with conviction, shooting when opportunities appear and showing the belief expected from a major signing.

Boyd’s criticism may therefore be uncomfortable, but it contains a simple message. Høgh cannot wait for confidence to return by itself. He must create it through his actions.

Every shot, run and scoring opportunity can help rebuild his belief.

His pass to Nygren helped Celtic beat Motherwell, and that should not be forgotten. But the incident also highlighted the dilemma facing Høgh.

The Dane does not necessarily need to become selfish, but he does need to become more decisive.

If he can rediscover that instinct, the goals may soon follow. And if that happens, Celtic could finally see the striker they believed they were signing when they spent £11million on him.