Things started so well for Oliver Burke at Celtic 18 months ago.
Brendan Rodgers signed the West Brom winger on a half-season loan during the second half of the 2018-19 campaign.
And early on, the jet-heeled winger was really justifying those comparisons with a certain Gareth Bale.
Scottish defences couldn’t live with the 23-year-old’s pace and power, culminating in four goals and three assists in his first month as a Celtic player.
But then Rodgers left to join Leicester City and it all went terribly wrong for the young Scot under Neil Lennon.
Burke swiftly lost his form and his place in the Hoops’ first XI, and even struggled to make the squad some weeks, before returning to Albion after another stint that promised so much but delivered so little.
But he reminded everybody of his potential last night, while playing for Alaves away to Real Madrid.
Burke managed to play the 90 minutes and was far and away his loan club’s best player, even if he was on the wrong side of a 2-0 defeat in the end.
And here’s how neutral fans on Twitter reacted to the barnstorming display:
He has only managed one goal and one assist in 29 appearances for the Spanish club this season, indicating that although he still has a hell of a lot of talent, there’s a long way to go before he fulfills it on a consistent basis.
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