Can Ryan Christie ensure that Celtic don’t need Jonny Hayes next season?
Jonny Hayes can’t be feeling too optimistic about his Celtic future at the moment.
The Irish winger was ruled out for the rest of the season in December, but even then, Hayes, a £1.3 million summer signing from Aberdeen, hadn’t been enjoying a superb start to life at Parkhead.
At the time of his injury, the 30-year-old had only managed one goal and one assist in 16 games across all competitions, quite a disappointing return considering that he hit 10 and set up 13 for the Dons last term.
And it’s entirely possible that a couple of glittering performances by Ryan Christie on international duty this week would make Hayes surplus to requirements this summer.
The Scotland winger, on loan at Aberdeen, would surely help to convince Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers that he is good enough for the Hoops if he impresses against Costa Rica and Hungary over the next five days.
And if he does, where does Hayes fit in next season? Christie would leapfrog him in the pecking order and compete with James Forrest and Patrick Roberts on the right, whereas Scott Sinclair and Charly Musonda are options on the other wing and it just doesn’t seem plausible that Christie and Hayes will be Celtic players next season.
Difference is, Christie, who is 23 and seven years younger than his Irish counterpart, has a golden chance to put forth his case to Rodgers over the coming months, while the injured Hayes is powerless.
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