The striker left the Scottish Premiership side earlier this summer.
Anthony Stokes celebrates with Emilio Izaguirre
While reflecting on his time at Celtic, Anthony Stokes has claimed that Emilio Izaguirre is one of the most underrated players in the Hoops’ squad, the Daily Mail reports.
The 27-year-old left Parkhead for Blackburn earlier in the summer after six seasons with the Bhoys, during which time he scored 76 times in all competitions.
During his penultimate campaign with the club however, Stokes was deployed in a wider role by then boss Ronny Deila. And while he remains unconvinced about whether moving him out to the wing was always the best decision, he explained how it allowed him to see just how good the Honduran full-back actually was.
“I always enjoyed playing with Emilio Izaguirre, who is one of the most underrated players at Celtic, but I just felt that when we were playing certain teams we should have been playing two up front – I really did,” he told the Mail.
Unfortunately for Izaguirre, it appears that Stokes’ praise will do little for his career at Celtic Park. A report in the Daily Record claimed that the 30-year-old is keen to leave the club after losing his place in the side, and the Hoops are prepared to let him go if a suitable bid comes in.
Although the defender has been a consistent performer since joining in 2010, Kieran Tierney’s form since emerging into the first-team has made it nearly impossible for Rodgers to consider dropping the youngster, which means that Izaguirre may well not get the recognition that Stokes clearly feels he deserves.
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