Former Celtic striker John Hartson has called on the Hoops’ backup centre-backs to leave the club in the summer transfer window, with Liam Scales currently starting alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers.
The young defender is earmarked as potentially breaking into the team one day. Maik Nawrocki and Auston Trusty have also started at times; however, Scales now appears to have the jersey, leaving the rest behind for the time being.
While Hartson is happy that Celtic have so much depth in defence, he sympathizes with those who aren’t getting game time week in, week out, proposing that they leave in the summer to rebuild their careers.
He said: (Go Radio Football Show), “(Stephen) Welsh, I think is up against it, because of some of the other centre-backs. Trusty seems to be the one that’s out of the team, at the minute.
“Then, Scales is the one who has come back in. Sometimes, you can have a bad two or three games. Another player comes in, and he stays in for a while, then he has a bad game, and they change it again.
“For me, the ones who are on the fringes, and aren’t playing every single weekend, don’t ever look like they are ever going to be regulars. You have got to look to move them on. Not just for Celtic, but for their careers as well.“
It’s an interesting comment from Hartson. There will likely be a lot of movement in the summer.
Welsh and Lagerbielke look unlikely to be at Celtic long term, with Nawrocki himself even at times falling behind Murray in the pecking order, making it likely that even the Polish defender will leave in the summer, despite impressing against Rangers and Hearts.
It’s unfortunate that a number of players haven’t been able to break into the starting XI week in, week out, but put simply, Carter-Vickers won’t be displaced anytime soon.
