Celtic will need to look elsewhere for midfielders with Rangers loanee Emerson Hyndman remaining with Bournemouth.
This is not the news that Rangers supporters wanted to wake up to this morning, the hangover from their 5-1 Ibrox hammering by Old Firm rivals Celtic still lingering.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has confirmed that loan star Emerson Hyndman will not be returning to Scotland next season.
“You don’t invest in young players to then move them on very quickly. That defeats the object of our model,” The Cherries boss told The Echo.
And while this is hardly a shock, sending the American to Ibrox in January was intended to build up his experience ahead of a planned Bournemouth breakthrough in 2017/18, it still comes as a blow to a Rangers side who have leaned heavily on Hyndman for creativity and cutting edge.
US-Eh?
Across the city, Celtic may be a little disappointed too. The Daily Record reports that they had made contact with the South Coast club to discuss the prospect of nabbing Rangers’ Young Player of the Year on loan next season – albeit before two poor performances against Brendan Rodgers’ side in Old Firm defeats in both league and cup.
With the increasingly influential Patrick Roberts returning to parent club Manchester City after the expiry of his 18-month loan, Celtic are in need of extra vision going forward. And Hyndman would surely have provided exactly that.
Teen talent
However, it will be interesting to see whether this blow encourages Celtic to intensify their pursuit of another highly-rated young midfielder.
According to the Scottish Sun, 18-year-old Australian midfielder Riley McGree is the latest young talent on Rodgers’ radar. After starring for Adelaide United, the teenager was even handed his Socceroos debut this year.
An energetic midfield runner blessed with composure in possession, McGree is cut from the same cloth as Australian team-mate and Celtic star Tom Rogic. And, with Hyndman not going anywhere, he could join Rogic (below) at Celtic Park this summer.
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