Celtic must unleash Liam Scales amid Ralston injury blow | OneFootball

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic may have picked up all three points at Parkhead on Thursday evening but it didn’t come without a hefty blow for the Hoops.

As appears to be tradition this term, the Bhoys receive a plethora of injury blows which really dampens the mood inside Paradise.

Christopher Jullien has already been missing all year while the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Tom Rogic, Carl Starfelt and Greg Taylor to name a few have all had spells on the treatment table.

Taylor has been a big miss with Josip Juranovic forced to play out of position but he may now gain a chance to play in his favoured role at right-back this weekend against Dundee United.

Who should play at left-back for Celtic?

Bolingoli

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Scales

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Montgomery

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That’s because Anthony Ralston was one of three injury victims in the 1-0 win over Hearts on Thursday evening.

Opportunity knocks

Not only does a fantastic chance now present itself for Juranovic to slot in on the right, but it also opens up an avenue of selection at left-back.

With Ralston and Taylor out, Postecoglou could pick either Boli Bolingoli or Adam Montgomery in that position. However, he’d do well to also consider a lesser-spotted Liam Scales.

The Irishman has played just 44 minutes of first-team football since arriving from Shamrock Rovers in the summer, struggling to make an impression on the manager.

Capable of playing in a number of positions, however, he should prove to be a useful asset for the manager going forward.

Despite being the tender age of 23, he can play on the wing, in the middle of defence or at full-back. It’s in that final role where he tends to star, specifically on the left-hand side where he uses his long 6 foot 2 levers and rampant offensive skills to get forward with devastating effect.

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Speaking about him in the past, Collie O’Neill, his former manager at UCD, once remarked: “Liam likes to get forward. It’s not often you have guys on the wing who are tall and attacking, but when he gets going into his stride, he’s quick and strong. He can just whip past people.”

That eye-catching review should do enough to whet the appetite of Celtic fans who may be a little downbeat after reading of Ralston’s new injury problem.

Watching Scales come into the team, though, would be a treat, especially as they are yet to see a great deal of their summer signing in action.

That said, when you consider his outstanding offensive and physical traits, he’s surely everything Postecoglou is looking for at such short notice. Montgomery is still incredibly young while Bolingoli has proven himself to be a liability on frequent occasions.

Thus, it must be Scales’ time to show the Celtic Park faithful what he can do.