Celtic starter admits rival club were keen to sign him

It is very interesting how the Celtic team looks now when compared to last season. The Hoops were treble winners in the previous campaign but then saw the likes of Jota and Carl Starfelt in the summer. On top of that, there was a change in the managerial hot seat. Ange Postecoglou left for Tottenham Hotspur and was replaced by Brendan Rodgers, returning for a second stint at Parkhead.

Anytime a new manager comes in, most players start on a clean slate. And nobody has taken advantage of that opportunity better than Liam Scales.

At the start of the season, Scales was thought to be at the bottom of the centre-back pecking order. Even the chances of him appearing as a substitute seemed slim. Yet he now finds himself as pretty much an undroppable starter in Rodgers’ side.

That did not seem possible in the summer. In fact, a move to Aberdeen was thought to be very much on the cards for Scales and it was perhaps the injuries that prevented Celtic from parting ways with the Irishman. It has worked out perfectly.

Celtic starter admits rival club were keen to sign him

As reported by Independent.ie, Scales said:

"“I suppose at the start of the year I think I came back into pre-season with Celtic and most people thought I was going to go back to Aberdeen. It was sort of in the pipeline, there was talk of it happening. Then obviously a few injuries happened. I think I’ve surprised in the sense that maybe I wasn’t fully in the picture, then a few injuries happened and I was thrown straight in and did well, and I’ve held my place now.“I spoke to them at the end of my loan and they were keen to have me back for a year or 18 months and move me on, and I loved Aberdeen, Aberdeen is a brilliant football club. I was really looking forward to trying to get back there and do that, but it has worked out better for me now and I’m happy that it has.”"

Opportunities at clubs like Celtic do not come around often. It is great that Scales has grabbed the chance he got with both hands.

He has been absolutely superb since he has come into the team. Along with Matt O’Riley, he has been Celtic’s best player this season. That is quite the rise for someone who seemed to be completely out of the Hoops’ first-team plans even a few months ago.

Scales spent the previous on loan at Aberdeen and was a regular for them. The experience clearly helped him adjust to the Scottish game and now, he has proven he is ready to be a Celtic starter.