Rodgers sang the seldom-seen full-back’s praises, as Celtic got back to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership against Dundee at Parkhead.
Two players who appeared to have no future at Celtic under manager Brendan Rodgers made surprise returns to first-team action at the weekend, as The Hoops welcomed Dundee to Parkhead.
36-year-old Dorus de Vries started between the sticks over a year after his most recent outing in Celtic colours, while seldom-seen right-back Cristian Gamboa also featured as Rodgers shuffled his pack prior to the midweek Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
And while de Vries pulled off a series of excellent saves to ensure a hard-fought 1-0 win for Celtic against Dundee, Costa Rican Gamboa also would have caught his manager’s eye.
“Cristian Gamboa went halfway round the world to play in World Cup qualifiers and came back and I thought he was excellent,” Rodgers was quoted by The Scotsman.
‘Excellent’
With Mikael Lustig still Celtic’s first-choice right-back, and Anthony Ralston emerging as a real talent this season, it appeared as if Gamboa was on borrowed time at Parkhead.
It remains to be seen whether the speedy full-back’s impressive display against Neil McCann’s Dundee represents a turning point in his Celtic career, or whether he will once again be regarded as an afterthought in the months to come. With Rodgers dabbling with a range of formations this season, however, it appears that Gamboa could be handed a lifeline.
The former West Brom man started in a back four against Dundee, but should also prove a good fit in the wing-back system trialled by Rodgers over recent weeks. Blessed with natural pace and a real attacking intent, Gamboa could be a real outlet on the right flank – arguably more so than Lustig or Ralston.
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