Celtic signed Daniel Arzani on a two-year loan, and that move was met with a lot of gung-ho as the youngster had impressed in the World Cup for his country Australia and he was also their youngest player ever to play in the World Cup. The Hoops faithful would have expected to see some of his lightning-quick footwork and pace, but Brendan Rodgers has so far sidelined him from the first team. The gaffer went on to explain why he took such a decision.
He had earlier said,”He came out of nowhere and went to the World Cup, became the youngest player there. This is a boy who had never played 90 minutes of senior football, but people are expecting him to come in and be like Eden Hazard or Harry Kewell. Sorry to burst the bubble, but he needs a bit of time to build up his fitness and confidence.”
The Australian wasn’t even named in the Europa League squad and has failed to get into matchday squads. This kind of treatment of the winger has not gone down well with one of the Celtic legends as Willie Wallace launched a scathing attack on Rodgers.
He said,”Arzani is a good little player, and Brendan Rodgers disappointed me on that one. He’s saying it’s going to be a while before he plays. Well, why are Celtic paying the wages and not Man City? If I was the board at Celtic, I’d have kicked the manager’s a*** out the door. Why would you take Arzani for two years if he isn’t going to play in your team? The kid, for me, will finish up a better player than James Forrest.”
We also feel that Rodgers has been slightly harsh on Arzani. It’s true that adjusting to a new country and new league takes time as he is coming from a league like the Australian A-League. However, the gaffer could at least give him cameo appearances here and there to build up his confidence and include him in matchday squads so that he can have the experience practising week in week out with the first team.
The fact that the winger is not even in contention for a place after two months should be disappointing for the player as well. Arzani came to Celtic from Manchester City in search of game time, but it seems like he would have been better off playing for the City reserves in the Premier League 2.
Maybe there is something which the player lacks, and Rodgers is the one who has seen him from close quarters in training. So probably we shouldn’t jump the gun here. The good thing is that the 19-year-old is on a two-year loan spell so maybe in the second half of the season he might get some time, and after that, Arzani can be a regular for the Hoops from the next season. Wishful thinking on our end probably!
