Scottish Premiership giants, Celtic, secured yet another win in the league as Leigh Griffiths’ strike proved to be enough to bag all three points against Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium on Saturday. The 1-0 away victory keeps the Celts at the top of the table with 33 points to their name after 13 encounters. They have really hit the right chords in the domestic competitions so far this season and it goes without saying that catching them would be an uphill task for their rivals.
Recently, one of the positives to have emerged from the Celtic camp was the extension of goalkeeper, Dorus de Vries’ contract as he put pen to paper on a one-year extension deal. This implies that the custodian is tied to the Celtic Park until the closure of 2018-19 season. Despite hardly being used between the sticks, the goalkeeper doesn’t seem to be in the mood to leave in search of more game time under his belt, and it is indeed a good sign for the Glasgow-based club.
Having emerged through the youth ranks of De Kennemers and Beverwijk, de Vries played for some notable clubs like Swansea City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest and has truckloads of experience under his belt. He is a player with a significant pedigree and has proved his mettle everywhere he has plied his trade. The Dutchman was signed by the Hoops in the summer of 2016 from the ranks of Forest and at the onset, it was perceived that he would be the no.1 keeper for Celtic.
However, the scenario hasn’t forked in the manner which was anticipated as he has been handed merely 5 starts in the Scottish Premiership after leaving the City Ground. Craig Gordon has been the first-choice goalkeeper for Rodgers and as a result, the 36-year-old’s stature so far has only been similar to that of a deputy. So far this season, he has operated in just 1 Premiership game, and despite the same, he insisted that he wasn’t reluctant is extending his stay.
Under the tutelage of the former Liverpool boss, the youngsters have been, in particular, given the license to thrive. The competition for places in Rodgers’ setup is simply humungous and to bolster their arsenal, they do need a fine mixture of blossoming youngsters and proven veterans. Apart from Gordon, the Bhoys also have Conor Hazard and Ross Doohan and with the contract extension of de Vries, Celtic’s goalkeeping slot seems pretty much sorted at this stroke of the hour.
