Nicolas Kuhn is on a football journey - a journey back to the top echelons of the game.

If the stars align it will culminate in a full international cap for the German national team. The former child prodigy once had the football world at his feet as a teenager. The Celtic winger was labelled a 'Wunderkind' ('wonderkid') as he plundered goals aplenty as a youth for St Pauli, Hannover 96 and then RB Leipzig.

At the tender age of 18, Ajax came calling and he made the switch to the Eredivisie side for the hefty sum of two million euros in 2018. Despite turning out for Jong Ajax, Kuhn never made a first-team appearance for the Amsterdam outfit. Two years later he was loaned out to Bayern Munich II on an initial six-month loan before making the move permanent in the summer of 2020.

Kuhn signed a three-year deal and was immediately placed in Bayern Munich's reserve team but within 12 months the winger was upping sticks again when he joined FC Erzgebirge Aue for the 2021/22 campaign. Erzgebirge Aue had an option to purchase the player but the team was relegated and they did not activate the clause.

However, the road to redemption and salvation was at hand when the football fates intervened and Kuhn was taken under the wing of Rapid Vienna CEO Steffen Hofmann. Nobody knows Kuhn like Hofmann. Amazingly, both players had traversed the same path in their young careers. Hofmann joined Rapid Vienna in 2002 after spending his football education in Munich with Bayern where he made one solitary appearance for the first team in 2001/02.

The German midfielder made a record number of appearances for the Austrians. He was bestowed the title of honorary captain when he retired in 2018 having amassed 540 games in all competitions including UEFA matches.

Hofmann then held various positions at the club - talent manager, second-team coach, and sports coordinator. The 44-year-old knows what makes Kuhn tick after acting as a mentor to him in Vienna.

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Hofmann said: "We have a saying in Germany called 'Wunderkind' and it translates as wonder kid.

"Nicolas Kuhn was a 'Wunderkind'. He was a child football prodigy and scored a lot of goals as a youth player for various clubs like Hannover 96 and RB Leipzig. When Rapid were looking for a winger his name was the one that ticked all the boxes for me. It was a no-brainer to sign Kuhn. He had a good time at RB Leipzig and then subsequently signed for Ajax and Bayern. There was a lot of pressure on him when he signed for Bayern Munich at just 18. It was not always easy for him.

"Everybody in Germany knew who Nicolas Kuhn was back then. He signed for Ajax and then he signed for Bayern Munich for a lot of money. He was just a teenager when all that happened to him. Sometimes moves of that magnitude are hard to deal with and it is tough to cope but he had a great education at both clubs and he became a real man.

"He possibly lost his way at those two big clubs as he had a couple of things in his life that were not so easy. Nic is a good guy. He was a great player for me at Rapid Vienna. We had a lot in common as we both played for the Bayern Munich reserve teams and ended up at Rapid Vienna and had the same career destinations which was a bit of a weird coincidence."

It was CEO Hofmann who had no hesitation in bringing Kuhn to Vienna in 2022 for a knockdown fee of €500,000. For Hofmann, it was the ultimate no-brainer of a signing. For Kuhn, it helped get his ailing football career back on the right track and an upward trajectory.

Hofmann admitted that he swooped for Kuhn because he knew that he could help him rediscover his footballing mojo. It didn't take long for Hofmann to realise that Kuhn was still a special talent who can be 'unstoppable' at times.

He revealed that he has turned into a massive Celtic supporter as he keeps tabs on Kuhn every week from afar. Hofmann said: "When Nic came to us, he was in the process of signing a new deal with Bayern Munich. I just knew Rapid Vienna had to sign this boy!

"I was instrumental in bringing Nic to Rapid Vienna. What can I say about Nic? He is lightning-quick, possesses electric pace, has great technique and he is a player who makes supporters want to come to a stadium and watch football. Nic is a player that can do things that other players cannot. That's what makes him special. He is a special talent.

"He has something that not many players have and that is the ability to dribble past opponents at speed coupled with an end product. Everybody is looking for that and he's got it in abundance. When he was at Rapid he did not score as many goals as we would have liked but I knew one day it would come. He seems to have got his rhythm and flow back with Celtic and when he is in that mood he is unstoppable.

"I am following his progress at Celtic from afar as Nic was my boy. I brought him to Rapid Vienna and I cannot speak highly enough of him. He had a good time in Vienna and we had a lot of respect for each other. Every week I check out Celtic's results as well as to see how the team played and how Nic performed. It is really good to see how well he has settled at Celtic and how he is developing. He is scoring and assisting every other week and that is fantastic.

"Nic was a 'Wunderkind' who spent some time for want of a better expression in the football wilderness but he is back with a bang at Celtic. He is doing a great job at Celtic now and he is fully focused on his football. I am delighted to see him doing so well now."

(Image: Agency)

Hofmann admits that Kuhn is a slow-burner in terms of his personality off the field but once he has gained the trust of his teammate then his qualities inside a dressing room will shine through. Hofmann said: "Nic is a naturally shy boy off the field but you have to be close to him and be part of his inner sanctum and when you are then he opens right up. I saw a side of Nic that not many get to see as I was close to the player when he was at Rapid Vienna."

Ironically it was Canadian right-back Alistair Johnston who revealed that the Celtic first-team squad had been coaxing the real character and persona out of Kuhn. Earlier in the season it was Johnston who dished out some sage advice when he said: “Nic is a reasonably quiet person, but he likes to have a good laugh and he’s a good lad. He likes to be a part of it.

"It’s not a club where you can just be a small personality and expect to just go out and play 90 and then go back into the shadows. You’re in it when you’re up here. You’re in a fishbowl in Glasgow. So you’ve got to be ready for that. Every single guy that Celtic have brought in even if they are quiet personalities like Nic for example, I think he’s learned over these past six months that he’s got to be a peacock a little bit – go out there, be confident.

"When you do that, you’re going to play some good football and you’re going to be loved here.”

However, Hofmann revealed that one thing about Kuhn remains a mystery to this day. Kuhn has never disclosed why he wears the No. 10 jersey. Hofmann said: "One thing you will need to ask him is why he wears the No. 10 jersey. The No. 10 is very important to him and it always has been but I never found out why.

"Historically some of the best-ever players to have graced the game have worn the No.10 shirt so maybe it has something to do with that."

Kuhn has 14 goal contributions in just 11 games for Celtic this season. His latest strike came in the 2-1 victory over Ross County in Dingwall when he bagged an 88th-minute winner to hand Celtic a priceless three Scottish Premiership points which kept the champions top of the table on goal difference from Aberdeen. It prompted Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers to heap lavish praise on the winger. The Irishman said: He's been 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.”

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It's fair to say that Kuhn is back in the football groove. Not before time reckons Hofmann who was well aware that Kuhn struggled initially after his £3 million move to Brendan Rodgers's side back in January. Kuhn revealed that he had to overcome some serious health challenges after he underwent dental surgery to remove his wisdom teeth, and it hampered his ability to eat properly during this which saw the player lose eight kilograms of weight.

The health problems are firmly in the past and behind Kuhn and Hofmann reckons the sky is now the limit for the winger. It was Kuhn who declared that he always had faith in his own ability and told everybody who would listen that his burning football ambition was to play in the Champions League one day. He has since managed that with Celtic this season.

(Image: Ross MacDonald - SNS Group) Hofmann insists that Kuhn is a player who is destined to represent his national side. For the time being, Kuhn looks to have found a spiritual home in Glasgow's east end. He admitted that the player's display against Manchester City during Celtic's preseason tour of the USA was shades of vintage Kuhn. Hofmann said: "This is a player who will play for the German national team.

"It is not easy to get caps for Germany but Nic has something special that club teams as well as international teams are looking for. I am convinced he will represent his country one day. Nic always said he would play in the Champions League and he has managed that goal already with Celtic. His next ambition will be to gain international honours for the German national team and I believe he will achieve that.

"There seems to have been a weight lifted from his shoulders since he signed for Celtic. He is really strong in his head now and he is ready for anything. He is in a happy place at Celtic. He is loving life at Celtic, he is winning matches and winning trophies. He just loves to play football and he is very happy and content.

"I watched and beamed with pride when Celtic beat Manchester City in the USA during the summer and I knew then that he was back to something approaching his best. Nic is a genuine football talent and he is going right back to the top levels of the game."

Kuhn for Germany? If anyone can, Kuhn can. Only then will the 'Wunderkind's journey and football redemption arc be complete.

One question remains if Kuhn is capped for Germany - will he ask to wear the No. 10 jersey for his country?