With 14 goal contributions in just 11 games this season, Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn has taken Glasgow by storm – though not instantly.

It has been widely documented that the German wide-man struggled in his half-season under Brendan Rodgers, following his £3 million move from Austrian side Rapid Vienna back in January. Though he contributed with a couple of key goals – two against Aberdeen at Pittodrie and Hampden immediately spring to mind – the jury was well and truly out on the former Bayern Munich, Ajax and RB Leipzig youth prospect. 

Indeed, the headlines wrote themselves when it was disclosed by Rodgers that Kuhn had dealt with some challenging setbacks with his health during the winter break in Austria. Kuhn himself would confirm that he underwent dental surgery to remove his wisdom teeth, which hampered his ability to eat properly during this time. Because of this, the player lost between seven and eight kilograms of weight, a sizable amount for a player who stands at 5 ft 9 in – this equates to just over a stone in weight.

Not being able to eat for 12 days after a medical procedure will no doubt have an impact on a player’s ability, especially when moving to a new club. The question is: Just how much can it hamper an individual? The Celtic Way’s Ryan McGinlay spoke to leading sports scientist and physical therapy, fitness and movement coach Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT to find out more about how going under the knife can affect a footballer, both on and off the pitch…

The removal of wisdom teeth is a very common procedure concerning dental matters for adults. Also known as the ‘third molar’, these teeth typically erupt (break through) in humans in their late teens to early twenties, though this can vary. Dr. Brar underlined the common nature of this procedure, as he spoke about the impact that this may have had on Kuhn’s everyday life. He said: “In the case of the removal of wisdom teeth, this procedure should not have that much of an impact on an individual following surgery.

“However, this is caveated with the condition that he/she has a normal recovery after the procedure is completed. Additionally, there may be some early fears after the procedure due to the recency of the operation in those areas.

“This fear can come in the form of contact – of which football is a contact sport.”

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As mentioned previously, Kuhn himself told the media that he could not properly eat for 12 days due to this dental procedure. Of course, nutrition is a major part of modern-day football, an area which has seen major strides both in the UK and around the world. In essence, the days of takeaways and processed foods before, during and after a game are long gone for professionals, in place of targeted diets, meal prep and sometimes even the banning of certain foods by managers in cafeterias. 

In the case of Celtic, Norwegian manager Ronny Deila coined the term of the ‘24-hour athlete’ – directed at Leigh Griffiths back in 2014 – as he went big on the nutritional values that eating properly granted his players. Following Deila’s exit in 2016, Rodgers would build upon the solid foundations that his predecessor had laid down, maintaining those standards when he returned after four years in the summer of 2023.

Dr. Brar noted the importance of nutrition in sports, though he downplayed the impact of Kuhn’s diet change due to this particular procedure. He said: “In the case of a normal recovery after the removal of wisdom teeth, his diet wouldn’t normally be impacted that much.

“If Kuhn had trouble with solid foods due to either discomfort or difficulty in consuming them, then the nutrition teams at Rapid Vienna and/or Celtic would be able to supply the player with a more liquid-oriented diet to provide a more appropriate nutrition for the individual. In terms of weight loss, losing seven kilograms in a relatively quick period of time is going to hamper any player, especially since there would be both muscle and fitness loss as well.

“For a thinner player like Kuhn, it would have been even more significant in terms of losing muscle and strength – areas that are important in football.”

Of course, football as an occupation presents challenges both physically and mentally for individuals plying their trade at the highest level. Though he is comfortably Celtic’s standout player this season with six goals and eight assists in just 11 appearances in all competitions, his mental character would have been challenged by this dental setback at the turn of the year. 

Dr. Brar was under no illusions that this would have been a testing time for Celtic’s in-form player, especially when the winger was desperate to make an impact for his new club. He said: “The mental impact of losing weight due to unforeseen circumstances, losing fitness and not being able to play – which is often a player’s major identity – can certainly have an impact.

“Additionally, there may be frustration that the issues present are not even football-related. Because of this, that can sometimes lead to an uphill battle for the player mentally to get back to the level that they were at previously.

“Couple this with having to regain match fitness and rhythm – as well as rebuilding strength and performance metrics – it can be a challenging time for a recovering player trying to make a good first impression.”

As we all know, Kuhn has seemingly overcome these aforementioned challenges, now, putting in the hard yards during pre-season in order to attack the new campaign in both the best possible shape and mindset. The numbers do not lie – Kuhn is a man who is very much in form at the moment for Celtic.

His manager agrees. Following his side’s 2-1 Dingwall victory versus Ross County, Rodgers praised his wide-man’s contributions this season – in both halves of the pitch. He said: “He's been absolutely brilliant.
“I think with his fitness, he's looking more robust now, which is important. He's contributing in a big way. That's what you need your wingers to do. They need to create goals and score goals but also do the dirty side of the game.

“Kuhn is doing that really, really well.”

It would certainly seem that the German winger has finally found his bite in green and white.