Three players Celtic must sell in January, including one-time wonderkid

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Celtic’s squad is by far the strongest in the Scottish Premiership – but they could do with cutting away the deadwood.

Brendan Rodgers boasts a squad the rest of the Scottish Premiership can only dream of. So strong, in fact that these three seldom-seen stars could probably be sold without so much as a second thought.

Liam Henderson

It’s almost four years since Henderson made his first-team debut for Celtic in a 5-0 thrashing of Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership. The then-17-year-old appeared to have the world at his feet back in 2013 but, these days, you’d be forgiven for forgetting he’s still at the club.

Henderson made just 13 appearances under Brendan Rodgers last season and has not played a single minute of football this. Ironically, a manager renowned for getting the best out of young players appears to have brought the 21-year-old’s Celtic career crashing to a halt.

Neil Lennon, the manager who gave a teenage Henderson his chance at Parkhead, was linked with a deadline day move with current employers Hibernian, via the Scottish Sun. Perhaps a reunion with Henderson’s former boss is just what he needs.

Cristian Gamboa

If the Costa Rican international was struggling for opportunities at Celtic already, the emergence of 18-year-old Anthony Ralston was the last thing he needed. Gamboa was firmly ensconced behind Mikael Lustig in the pecking order last season but the speedy right-back has found opportunities even more difficult to come by in the early weeks of 2017/18.

A 2016 signing from West Brom, the 2014 World Cup star is still tainted by that 7-0 Champions League humiliation by Barcelona. As long as Rodgers remains in charge, Gamboa is never likely to be first-choice.

Jonny Hayes

Why did Celtic feel the need to sign Jonny Hayes? Although arguably the most impressive performer outside of Celtic in Scotland’s top flight last season and an SPFA Player of the Year nominee to boot, the only positive that has emerged from the summer signing is that The Bhoys have managed to weaken perennial runners-up Aberdeen.

Because Hayes has barely featured in green and white so far, making just three Scottish Premiership starts and even being forced to fill in at left-wing back in the recent 4-0 win over Ross County.

TEAMtalk reported in the summer window that Celtic were considering a loan offer from Cardiff City just weeks after Hayes arrived in Glasgow. If his situation does not improve by the New Year, who’s to say he won’t be on the move again?