Stevie Mallan has been in outstanding form for Hibernian and Celtic should be following the midfielder’s progress closely.
Barnsley must be kicking themselves. Back in July, the Tykes accepted a £150,000 bid from Hibernian for Stevie Mallan and the 22-year-old has gone from strength to strength ever since, showing why Barnsley bought him in the first place.
Mallan scored two trademark long-range goals in Saturday’s 6-0 thrashing of Hamilton, meaning the Scot has now netted an impressive nine goals in 16 games for Hibs.
And, in quotes reported by STV, Hibernian manager Neil Lennon has gone so far as to compare Mallan with his former Celtic teammate Lubo Moravcik.
“I’ve never seen anyone hit a ball as consistently as well as that since Moravcik days, he puts dip or bend on it 20-25 yards out,” he said.
“That’s nine goals he’s got from midfield already – exceptional going at this stage of the season. We’re delighted with him.”
But should Celtic now be encouraged to have a serious look at a player who remains a firm favourite at Parkhead on the back of four stellar years in Glasgow between 1998 and 2002?
Prior to the outstanding 6-0 thrashing of St Johnstone, Brendan Rodgers’ side had been frequently questioned for a lack of unpredictability or a goal threat from central midfield with Olivier Ntcham in particular coming in for criticism after links with FC Porto.
Mallan certainly has the raw skill set to be a potential replacement for Stuart Armstrong in Celtic colours, with the former Dundee United man’s drive and ability to score goals from deep badly missed since his summer move to Southampton.
Who knows? Maybe the new Moravcik, or the new Armstrong, is just a few miles down the road.
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