Celtic Legend Urgently Urges The Club To Hand Veteran A New Contract: Should Lennon Get This Done?

A £1m move to Celtic from Aberdeen back in the summer of 2017 did not particularly go well for Jonny Hayes in terms of playing minutes. The Republic of Ireland international was handed a sporadic status by the then boss Brendan Rodgers and he struggled to stake a claim in the manager’s first-team plans ahead of the other wide attackers.

The winger, however, gained massive influence following the arrival of Neil Lennon as the gaffer converted Hayes into the Hoops’ utility man. The 32-year-old impressed as a left-back whereas his performance as a left wingback in Rome against Lazio earned huge plaudits from the supporters as well as pundits.

You might also like

Hayes, however, will be a free agent at the end of the ongoing campaign and there’s been some discussion on whether he would be a handed a new deal at Parkhead. Lennon spoke highly of him recently and hinted at the possibility of an extension to keep hold of him for a longer span.

 

“He knows his role within the parameters of the squad. His fitness levels, pace and enthusiasm are fantastic and his game intelligence is improving all the time. I thought he was wonderful. It was probably his best game.”

The manager heaped praise (as quoted by The Scottish Sun) on Hayes’ influence following a ‘Man of the Match’ display against Motherwell last weekend.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – OCTOBER 23: Jonny Hayes of Celtic is seen during a training session at Lennoxtown Training Session on October 23, 2019 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Backed By The Celtic Legend

Now Davie Hay, the club legend, has hailed the impact of the Irishman and cited the new contract as a ‘matter of urgency‘.

“He looks at home as a left-back in a flat-four, he excels as a wing-back as he showed in Rome, and he is an option playing further up as a winger too. He’s a bundle of energy and he crosses a great ball too, so I think it’s a no-brainer to keep him around for another season.”

Why Lennon Would Need Him At The Club

Hayes has been a true professional who accepted his role and delivered whenever called into action. There might be clubs both north and south of the border interested in tying him down on a pre-agreement in winter, but the player pledged his loyalty to the club. He expressed his desire to finish his career with Celtic while speaking to The Glasgow Evening Times last week.

The exit of Kieran Tierney created an instability down the left-hand side of the backline. Greg Taylor is yet to make it into Lennon’s plans whereas Boli Bolingoli has struggled at times to cement his place as a fullback. Although there are ample wide attacking options for the Glasgow giants, the presence of Hayes would be essential due to his all-round attributes as well as a profound experience of Scottish football.

Pratyay Maitra

Pratyay Maitra

A sports enthusiast in his mid-twenties who reads, breathes, as well as dreams (mostly) about football and attempts to share his views with the fanatics by jotting it down. Prefers to learn through extensive interaction, communication and exploration. So don't be in a quandary and SHOOT.

Related Posts

Next Post

latest Articles