Manchester City may be justified keeping summer Celtic target Fabian Delph

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A move to Celtic looked like an excellent opportunity for all parties, but Fabian Delph still has much to offer Manchester City.

Fabian Delph has only played 20 minutes of Premier League football for Manchester City this season but he certainly made the most of the rarest of opportunities. Coming off the bench with the game already sewn up against bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace on Saturday, the England international rifled a stunning strike into the top corner, clipping the bar for aesthetic affect.

Delph will know that first-team football won’t be easy to come by at City this season with some of the world’s best players fighting for the same role in the starting XI. In the last two seasons, Delph has started 10 league games.

However, if the 27-year-old can continue to contribute from the bench and add quality in reserve, there is no reason to suggest that he cannot enjoy a successful third season at City despite limited game-time. After all, it is the squad, rather than the first XI, who win you titles and Delph has already proven himself useful in both the Champions League and EFL Cup.

The Mail reported in the summer that Celtic were desperate to hand Delph a lifeline and there is no doubting that the former Aston Villa man, who’d have cost the Scottish champions a club-record £12 million, would find minutes far easier to come by north of the border.

Delph could have gone from seldom-seen sub to star man, a key figure in the centre of the park as Celtic cruise to a seventh straight Scottish Premiership title.

However, if Pep Guardiola hands Delph more opportunities to impress at the top of the Premier League, maybe even the odd start here and there with only Fernandinho capable of playing in front of the defence, he could prove himself to be very useful to City this season.

Celtic looked like an excellent opportunity for all parties on paper but City’s decision to keep hold of Delph could reap rewards if his cameo displays are as eye-catching as his 20 minute outing against Palace.