The international break can be a boring period for Celtic fans without the Hoops to look forward to. The fact that several key players continue to pull out of national team duty has not helped matters. But then, it does also provide an opportunity for some to make their presence felt and hopefully, catch the eye of their club managers.
Liam Scales is someone who appears to have slipped behind Auston Trusty and Cameron Carter-Vickers in the pecking order lately. The American duo started in the Scottish League Cup semi-final against Aberdeen and then in the Champions League game vs RB Leipzig at Parkhead. Both proved to be convincing wins for Brendan Rodgers' side.
Scales was putting together a solid international break before he was sent off in the second half against England. The Republic of Ireland were drawing until that point but ended up conceding five goals in what turned out to be a 5-0 defeat.
Scales was shown a second yellow card for bringing down Jude Bellingham inside the box. And unsurprisingly, he has come under the microscope in the aftermath of Ireland's defeat.
Harry Kane reacts to Celtic player's costly mistake
Scales had done a great job of keeping Harry Kane quiet in the first half. Now, the English captain has given his take on the red card.
As reported by Glasgow World, Kane told ITV Sport in a post-match interview:
"I expected Jude to go and score. But, in the end, it probably worked out best, with them getting a man sent off and then finishing the penalty."
In an instant, Scales' international break went from solid to one to forget. That's how fine the margins can be for centre-backs.
For now, it looks like Rodgers prefers starting with Trusty alongside Carter-Vickers. The American centre-back was signed in the summer from Sheffield United for a transfer fee believed to be in the region go £6 million. So, he was always expected to get his fair share of chances. Let's see if Scales is able to find his way back.