Jonny Hayes was superb for Celtic on Sunday afternoon.
Neil Lennon has reserved special praise for Celtic’s Jonny Hayes at the end of a exceptional week.
The Republic of Ireland international was given a surprise nod to start in the famous 2-1 win at Lazio on Thursday as Lennon’s side booked their spot in the latter stages of the Europa League.
Hayes, brought to Celtic by Brendan Rodgers in 2017, retained his spot in the first XI and dazzled in the 2-0 win over Motherwell at Parkhead on Sunday.
The former Aberdeen winger, playing at left-back, posted a Man-of-the-Match performance yesterday, fizzing in the cross which led to a Richard Tait own goal after Odsonne Edouard opened the scoring.
He was a danger down that left-hand side all afternoon for Celtic, and Lennon couldn’t speak highly enough of the Irishman.
He told The Record: “He’s had a great couple of days. But we’re not surprised by it. We watch him in training every day, we watch his fitness levels. He’s a great player to have and he can do a number of roles for us. I’m delighted with his contribution as I was on Thursday night. He was outstanding today.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Hayes is the next player who Celtic tie down to a new deal.
He is out of contract in Glasgow next summer and, on this form, he is definitely good value for an extension.
There’s something very James Milner-ish in the way that Hayes goes about his business on the field and off it. He is as reliable as anybody in Lennon’s squad and no Celtic fan would bat an eyelid if an announcement was made over his extension soon.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
