Dedryck Boyata played alongside Nir Bitton at the heart of the Celtic defence for their Scottish League Cup semi-final win at the weekend.
Nir Bitton
Dedryck Boyata has told Celtic’s official website that it has not been easy for teammate Nir Bitton adjusting to playing at centre-back, but insisted that the Israel international is improving all the time.
The 25-year-old has been the man who Brendan Rodgers has often turned to to fill the void at the heart of the defence, with injuries often leaving the Hoops lacking options in that area of the field.
Dedryck Boyata
And he has endured an understandably mixed time in the role, excelling on some occasions but looking vulnerable on others. But after helping the Bhoys reach the Scottish League Cup final at the weekend, Bitton has received the backing of the man who played alongside him in the 4-2 win.
“We’ve been working very hard since the beginning of the season with all the defenders and players like Nir who has been playing as a centre-back,” Boyata told the club’s official website. “He’s being doing very well and has been helping us a lot.
“Nir is developing every day. It’s definitely not easy for him. There are things which you can see a centre-back would do straight away but he’s a very good player and he’s improving all the time.”
With the pecking order in the centre of midfield so congested, Bitton will certainly not mind filling in at the heart of the defence as it probably represents his best chance of getting minutes under his belt.
With Jozo Simunovic and Erik Sviatchenko struggling to prove that they can be relied upon to enjoy lengthy runs in the team without fitness concerns, Bitton perhaps has a great chance to establish himself as a genuine option for Rodgers.
But there is no doubt that he needs to improve considerably before he is at that level. But Boyata appears to be confident that Bitton is well on his way.
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