Celtic player encouraged Conor Hazard’s Plymouth Argyle move
Celtic have emerged as one of the most notable clubs for youngsters to display their quality to the world. Things do not work out for everybody at the club though. One such example is that of Conor Hazard, who joined their youth set up in 2014 and quickly established himself as one of the most promising young goalkeepers in Scottish football.
He made his first competitive debut for the Hoops in 2020 and made a few senior appearances for the club. Hazard also starred in the 2020 Scottish Cup final, where he saved two spot kicks to help Celtic win the trophy and complete the Quadruple Treble.
It was never easy for Hazard to get consistent first-team minutes at Celtic though. He went out on a loan move to HJK Helsinki in 2022. There, he impressed and helped the club win the Finnish League.
Even that was not enough to earn Hazard regular playing time at Celtic but his performances did catch the attention of clubs from England. And in the ongoing summer transfer window, he ended up joining Championship club, Plymouth Argyle, on a permanent basis.
Celtic player encouraged Hazard’s Plymouth Argyle move
It looks like Joe Hart is someone who played the role of a mentor for Hazard at Celtic and gave him his blessing to move down south. As reported by Football Scotland, the new Plymouth Argyle signing said:
"“Joe was terrific with me. I couldn’t have learned from anyone better. When I told him about the move, he said to go down and do my own thing.“I couldn’t hold Joe in any higher regard. He was easy to approach and nothing was too much trouble. That tells you everything about him, especially for someone who’s done everything in the game.”"
Many see this move for Hazard as a step in the right direction. Should he perform well in the second tier of English football, he might well attract some eyes from the clubs in the Premier League, where Hart established himself as a legend at Manchester City.
Hart’s own future at Celtic is up in the air right now. There have been suggestions that the Hoops could look to sign a new number one this summer.