The future seems uncertain for Celtic, after seeing the club fall behind the Rangers in the Scottish Premiership title race. The Hoops have struggled in recent months while Philippe Clement's side have continued to pick up the points despite their performances being nothing special. And that has allowed them to not only bridge a significant gap but take a two-point lead themselves.
Celtic need to finish this season strong if they are to have any hope of winning the league and they were given one more reason to do so today. Joe Hart has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this campaign.
The decision might come as a surprise to many as Hart had been playing some great football recently. But with him set to turn 37 in April, retirement was always going to be on the horizon.
Hart's current deal with Celtic is set to run out at the end of the season. And it looks like he decided that the time was right to call time on his career.
Chris Sutton reacts to unexpected Celtic announcement
Sutton paid a beautiful tribute to Hart on social media following the announcement of his decision to retire at the end of this season. The former Celtic striker tweeted:
"Sad to see Joe Hart retiring at the end of the season. He’s had a brilliant career. Top goalkeeper, top guy"
Hart perhaps has not gotten the credit that he deserves for the job he has done since joining Celtic. Many had written him off before he had even arrived in the summer of 2021.
Hart has gone on to remain Celtic's number one for the next three seasons though. And unless something unexpected happens, he will finish the season and his career in that role. How many goalkeepers get to say that?
As for Celtic, they now must sign another goalkeeper next summer. It remains to be seen who that will be. There have been links with Andriy Lunin and Caoimhin Kelleher but judging by the club's recent transfer activity, moves of that magnitude seem unlikely.