Liam Scales is going from strength-to-strength at Scottish Premiership champions Celtic after a loan spell at Aberdeen with Brendan Rodgers’ gain Barry Robson’s loss.
With 23 goals conceded in just 13 games, Robson’s Dons have the worst defensive record in the division at present. But, when you consider that the team from Pittodrie lost 75 per cent of their backline from 2022/23, is it really any wonder why things have been a bit of a struggle recently?
Ross McCrorie, the one-time Rangers youngster, left for Bristol City. Mattie Pollock returned to Watford. And its testament to how far Liam Scales has come over the last 12 months or so that a man seldom-seen under Ange Postecoglou is one of the first names on Brendan Rodgers’ Parkhead team-sheet these days.
Liam Scales back at Celtic after Aberdeen spell
“It’s a whole new defence as we lost Ross McCrorie, Liam Scales and Mattie Pollock,” Robson tells the Daily Record.
“We had to rebuild that. And it’s not ideal when you have to replace that amount. It took us until the end of the window to get everyone in, and they have actually performed really well.
“We have made mistakes and individual errors have cost us. In defence it costs you but in other parts of the team you can get away with it. But I’m pretty confident we’ll get back to keeping clean sheets.”
Scales played 31 league games during a loan spell at Aberdeen last season. He could yet finish with a similar number of appearances under his belt for Celtic in 2023/24, climbing ahead of summer signings Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki in the Hoops pecking order while establishing himself as Rodgers’ first-choice, left-sided centre-half next to Cameron Carter-Vickers.
‘Outstanding’
“He’s outstanding. I’m so happy for him,” Rodgers told the BBC in October, the £500,000 signing from Shamrock Rovers holding his own in the Champions League too.
“He’s probably one of the biggest surprises of my career as a coach. It’s only because I hadn’t seen him play that much and there were other players ahead of him. Through people leaving and others getting injured, I’ve seen enough in training to give him the opportunity.
“Ideally you always want a left-sided centre back in your team that has good pace and intelligence, and he has all of that. You see the way he plays and is performing and he’s really grown and I’m so happy for him because he’s got pressure being from Ireland.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the Irish players at this club and he’s been outstanding.”
Scales is likely to start again when Celtic host Hibernian tonight.
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