Charlie Mulgrew believes Brendan Rodgers still hasn’t fully settled on his preferred centre-back partner for Cameron Carter-Vickers, despite the hefty investment Celtic have made since Carl Starfelt’s departure.
The former Hoops defender, speaking to RecordSport, shared his impression that neither Liam Scales nor Auston Trusty have yet fully convinced Rodgers.
The Irishman did seem to win the battle, playing more regularly and looking like he had displaced the former Sheffield United man since Celtic played Rangers at Hampden this season. Scales was subbed on for Trusty, who really struggled to put a run together after that.
“I get the feeling that he’s not completely satisfied with Trusty or Scales,” said Mulgrew [RecordSport].
“But then it can change.
“I really like Scales. Trusty’s shown he can be a good player as well. They’ll come back this pre-season and they might just hit the ground running.
“The way football works, they could be the main centre-back next year. Football’s a mad game.
“It happened to myself. The year I got Player of the Year, I came back and I wasn’t in the team for the first two games.
“Then I played the majority at centre-back and got Player of the Year in Scotland. Anything can happen.
“I’m sure Brendan Rodgers will be assessing that and seeing who’s the best fit to play.
“That’s the good thing about Brendan Rodgers, he’s always keeping people on their toes by knowing if they don’t perform, they’ll be replaced.
“As a player, you want to be kept on your toes and not be resting your laurels.”
With the manager demanding high standards and Champions League qualifiers on the horizon, pre-season will be crucial for both Scales and Trusty to stake their claim – and possibly cement their role beside Carter-Vickers, who remains pivotal to Celtic’s backline.
But, the transfer market will see Celtic explore their options, already strengthening attack, with Osmand and Nygren, while sealing the return of Kieran Tierney and adding Ross Doohan as back up, attention will likely soon turn to defence.
CeltsAreHere understand that the Hoops aren’t afraid to spend big money again this summer, and there will likely be at least one significant outlay this summer transfer window.
