Celtic boss claims often criticised player has been brilliant

Celtic fans are keen to see several positions strengthened, ideally in January. Brendan Rodgers seems to be no different. Interestingly, he has been speaking positively about one of his often criticised players but sees the need for more cover. And would that mean that another player has no future at the club?

Greg Taylor has been the main contender for the left-back position at Celtic in recent years. Since Kieran Tierney left there has not really been any serious competition for the 26-year-old, which also means less depth of cover too.

Taylor has received plaudits and also plenty of criticism over his time at Parkhead. As a general summary, he has been seen by fans as a decent hard-working player. Good enough for most Premiership sides, but perhaps just not what Celtic need to challenge in Europe.

Perhaps Taylor suffers from that lack of competition for the left-back position. Currently, the other one in the squad is Alexandro Bernabei. But he seems more left behind these days than a left-back.

 Celtic boss claims often criticised player has been brilliant

Bernanbei’s talents have not earned him a regular place in Rodgers' plans. He has only made a handful of appearances this season and no starts at all.

As reported by The Scotsman, Rodgers said about Taylor:

"I’ve got to say, Greg Taylor has been brilliant for me.

“Clearly there is a loading issue there we need to be mindful of if we don’t bring in support there. I know I’ve got Scalesy [Liam Scales] who can play there, in a worst case scenario. But Greg has been great for me. Like some of the players, he probably took some time to adapt to what we’ve been asking them to do. But now with everyone in sync, you can see how much he’s improved from a defensive perspective and the football side of his game is very good. I really, really like him. Being at a big club is about competition and it’s my job to make the squad as good as it can be."

Rodgers will have given Taylor a major boost with his comments. He seems to view the player as a top professional who is highly focused. But it’s quite telling that in talking about cover for the left-back, he has gone straight to his centre-back Liam Scales moving across to full-back rather than Bernabei.

To be honest, Bernabei does not seem to have a future at Celtic. It would make sense for all parties to part ways and for the club to sign another left-back.