Anthony Ralston suggests he’s ready to rock and rock when the Celtic boss needs him.
Fit-again Anthony Ralston has suggested to Celtic TV that he is ready to answer the call when manager Brendan Rodgers needs him.
The 19-year-old defender played for the Hoops’ Under-20 side last week in what was his first game since September due to a knee injury.
Prior to that absence, Ralston was part of Celtic’s first team and had endeared himself to fans not only for his performances, but how he wound up Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar during a 5-0 defeat at Parkhead.
The youngster has now told Celtic TV that he has “kept himself right” in spite of the lengthy absence and says that he’s ready for the return when Rodgers needs him.
“Been away, I have kept myself right and if anything happens to the other boys then that I am fit and ready when the gaffer needs me to do a job.
“I just need to keep myself read to be called on.”
Being honest, Ralston probably picked a decent time to come back. Rodgers’s first-choice right-back Mikael Lustig is well below his best and has had more than his fair share of dodgy performances in recent weeks and months.
But Ralston’s return from injury will surely provide food for thought for the Swede.
The young defender perhaps isn’t ready for first-team action in the eyes of Rodgers, who didn’t include him in the matchday squad for the Scottish Cup win over Partick at the weekend, but Ralston’s own update should give the Northern Irish manager something to think about.
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