Celtic player compared to Roy Keane by former coach

It is funny how quickly things can change in football. Ange Postecoglou left Celtic in the summer in order to join Tottenham Hotspur and the Hoops deserve a lot of credit for going out and appointing the best manager available in the form of Brendan Rodgers. Many might have been uncertain about bringing back the Northern Irishman after how his first stint in the Parkhead hot seat had handed, with him leaving in the middle of the 2018/19 campaign for Leicester City.

To be fair, the fan reaction to Rodgers’ appointment was much more positive than most would have expected. He was welcomed back with open arms by most.

Rodgers’ appointment has proven to be great for some players in particular. One of them is Liam Scales, who has gone from the bottom of the pecking order to a regular starter in the space of a few months.

Of course, injuries played a big part in Scales’ meteoric rise this season. With a number of centre-backs out injured at the same time, Rodgers gave him an opportunity and he took it with both hands. Now, the Irishman finds himself rubbing shoulders with the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata in the Champions League.

Celtic player compared to Keane by former coach

As reported by Balls, Lar Mahony first came across Scales when coaching the under-9s team at Arklow Town and he said:

"“Liam reminds me strangely enough of Roy Keane, because of one specific thing.“I was working with the FAI when Roy was with us and he went over to Nottingham Forest. His characteristic was that the step up was never a problem for him. He was able to go from Cobh Ramblers, he was able to go away and step in to Nottingham Forest. Then he was able to go to Manchester United and step into Manchester United’s team and just play.“In a strange way, that’s the similarity I see between him and Liam. Liam has the temperament where no matter what club he ends up playing with, he’ll step in and he’ll just play away…“This is a strange thing to say. I know he’s in Celtic’s first team now, but I don’t think that’s his limit. I think he has the ability to step over and go even further.”"

Of course, Scales is a regular starter right now. But it would be a stretch to say that his place in the starting XI is completely secure already.

Celtic splashed out in the summer to sign Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki. If Scales is to keep them out of the team then he will have to continue performing well. If his performance levels drop, he could find himself back on the bench.