His performances won him the SPL Player of the Month award for January 2011, and the praise of Celtic manager Neil Lennon. His determination and competitive attitude played a key part in his side's success in his first season in Scottish football. On 9 April 2011, Kayal captained the side in a 1–0 win over St Mirren. He scored his first goal for Celtic in a 1–0 SPL win over St Johnstone on 12 April 2011. His first home goal was a long range effort against Dundee United on 1 May 2011. On 4 May, Kayal had to be taken off in the second half of an SPL match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle because of suspected concussion after a collision with Ross Tokely. Kayal sustained a fractured wrist in the same incident and subsequently missed the rest of the 2010–11 season.