Few saw Ryan Christie’s turnaround coming, and now his Celtic teammate seems ready to follow his footsteps.
Heading into the season, it would have probably surprised few if Celtic decided to cash in on both Ryan Christie and Jonny Hayes had they received decent offers for either player.
Neither Christie or Hayes had managed to establish themselves within Brendan Rodgers’s plans at Parkhead, and when they both endured unspectacular starts to the current campaign, it did appear that they were in danger of becoming forgotten figures with the Hoops.
However, Rodgers’s decision to keep faith with Christie began to look like a masterstroke when his form enjoyed an incredible upturn from mid-October.
The 23-year-old had scored two goals for the Bhoys since signing in 2015 – admittedly, he has spent most of his time out on loan – but has 10 strikes this term alone and is arguably now one of the first names on Rodgers’s teamsheet.
And, while there is a long way to go, it appears that Rodgers may be starting to repeat the trick with Hayes, judging by the winger’s last couple of appearances for Celtic.
In particular, in the win at Kilmarnock at the weekend, Hayes was excellent. A couple of his crosses were wayward, but generally, he ensured that Celtic did not miss Kieran Tierney too much at all.
It is going to be incredibly difficult for the £1.3 million signing (via Express) to enjoy the same transformation that Christie produced. Tierney is the best left-back in Scotland by some distance, and getting in the team as an attacking winger is also a big ask.
But if Rodgers knows that Hayes can produce that level of performance on a regular basis when called upon, he can certainly enjoy a much better spell than the one he had looked destined to have before this latest spell in the team.
It should give all of Celtic’s fringe players belief that two of the men that many fans would have written off before the season began have now become options that Rodgers can rely on.
It should also send out another message to all of the sides looking to catch the Hoops.
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