Celtic’s Dedryck Boyata chose a bad time to under perform.
Celtic moved eight points clear of Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership with a 3-0 thumping of Derek McInnes’s side on Saturday.
One big positive – apart from the points – was the performance of Kristoffer Ajer.
The 19-year-old centre-back was outstanding against statistically the second best side in Scotland this season and it bodes very well for his future in Glasgow.
His centre-half partner Dedryck Boyata, however, was less than impressive again and, with January just around the corner, you wonder whether he chose an awful time to under perform.
Celtic completed the signing of Marvin Compper this week in a move which should’ve made Boyata play out of his skin, given that the German plays in the same position as him.
But the Belgian defender struggled and Compper’s arrival, coupled with Ajer’s performance, might well see the former Manchester City man slump down the pecking order.
If that happens, could manager Brendan Rodgers consider a January sale?
Jozo Simunovic is arguably Rodgers’s best centre-back, but the second spot is well and truly up for grabs now and you wonder whether Boyata just made Rodgers think about selling him next month.
Celtic fans might argue that you can never have enough centre-backs, but do they need five? Erik Sviatchenko is still there, while Nir Bitton can also do a job there.
Bottom line is that Ajer is clearly a rising talent and offloading Boyata is much easier in the knowledge that he and Compper are on hand to step in.
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