BBC journalist Tom English has heaped praise on Celtic’s Liam Scales, commending a remarkable turnaround in the defender’s fortunes.
Originally signed for £600,000 in 2021 from the League of Ireland, Scales struggled to make a significant impact and was loaned out to Aberdeen, where his performance was solid but unspectacular. Following his return to Celtic, he faced stiff competition from new signings like Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki, and loanee Nat Phillips.
Despite these challenges, Scales seized an unexpected opportunity due to an injury crisis at Celtic and has since excelled, maintaining his position even with the addition of £6 million signing Auston Trusty.
English pointed out the resilience and unexpected rise of Scales, especially given his challenging period during his stint at Aberdeen.
Tom English said: “They must’ve sign four or five centre halves to take over from Liam scales, and he’s seen them all off the premises.
“He was brilliant [against Bratislava].
“Scales and Cameron Carter-Vickers are the Celtic partnership. They’ve brought in Trusty and he’s sitting on the bench.
“Liam Scales, in the span of 10 days, as an Aberdeen player, lost 5-0 against Hearts, lost 1-0 against Darvel in the Scottish Cup, and then got sent off in a 6-0 defeat against Hibs. In the space of 10 days!
“If you said at that point that Liam Scales was going to score in a Champions League game for Celtic, people would say you’re off, your rocker.
“Very few people at Celtic believed in him.”
𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐔𝐁𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐖𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆
🗣️ ‘They must have signed 4 or 5 centre-halves…and he has seen them all off the premises.’
The BBC’s Tom English on Celtic and Ireland’s goal-scoring centre-half Liam Scales. | ☘️#CelticFC #UCL pic.twitter.com/0qpl2rAvWE
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) September 19, 2024
At the moment, Scales is undroppable. He’s putting in performance after performance, and it’s going to be hard for Auston Trusty to break into the Celtic team.
The American defender will likely get a chance on Sunday, when Celtic face Falkirk in the Premier Sports Cup.
John McGlynn’s side are in fine form ahead of their visit to Glasgow, and will be aiming to cause an upset after Celtic’s Champions League win.
Brendan Rodgers will likely field a heavily rotated side.
