The 33-year-old is surely one of the first names on the Celtic team-sheet these days, and rightly so.
Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon believes he is in the best form of his career and says he has reaped the rewards of embracing Brendan Rodgers’ playing style, the Daily Record reports.
In a similar situation to Joe Hart’s ousting at Manchester City to make way for ball-playing shot-stopper Claudio Bravo, the consistently excellent Gordon found himself on the substitutes bench during the opening weeks of the season after Rodgers brought in his former Swansea City goalkeeper Dorus de Vries due to the Dutchman’s extensive passing range.
However, after a number of high-profile errors by de Vries (with his hands no less) and a poorly timed injury, Gordon finally returned to the line-up in September and has seized his opportunity with every limb.
Meanwhile, his footwork and passing range has improved beyond belief since Rodgers’ arrival, something the 33-year-old puts down to his own hard work on the training field.
“I’ve probably never felt this good. It has been getting better and better for a number of weeks,” Gordon told the Daily Record.
“I did the one thing I could do and that is to work and be ready if the chance came. I did my homework and studied what he wanted me to do so I would be able to carry it out.
“I stayed back after training. It wasn’t for an hour because you will get injured if you kick balls for that long. I practised long and short kicking, clipped passes, a range of passing styles.
“There’s more to it now and while I know I’m not perfect, I’ll continue to work hard to improve.”
Upon bringing De Vries to Celtic Park, Rodgers quipped that he has only ever been left disappointed twice after losing players; namely, the Dutch goalkeeper and Liverpool talisman Luis Suarez, per the Daily Record.
Yet, the unexpected evolution of Gordon from a reliable shot-stopper to an all-round modern goalkeeper has forced the Northern Irishman’s hand. The former Sunderland number one has gone from dropped to undroppable in a matter of months.
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