Hatem Elhamed may have had his injury problems since arriving at Celtic, but one thing he can’t be accused of is a lack of efficiency.
The Israeli has still never lost a domestic game when on the pitch for the Hoops, and has proven himself to be quite the versatile defender into the bargain.
Signed from Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the summer of 2019, we’ve seen Elhamed shine at both right-back and centre-back. He’s had plenty of experience in both, and Lennon has shown no hesitancy in throwing him into the latter despite initially being signed as the former.
However, for any Celtic supporters who have been watching Israel in recent matches, they’ll have noticed that Elhamed hasn’t been playing either at centre-back or right-back. Instead, Israel boss Willibald Ruttensteiner has featured him at left-back over the last couple of months.
Yes, Elhamed was sent off for Israel against the Czech Republic last night, but he was in fine form for the vast majority of the game.
Defensively, he was proving far too powerful for right-sided Slavia Prague talent Lukas Masopust. as he dominated his rival for most of the match.
Going forward, meanwhile, he was just as effective. Elhamed combined impressively well with Manor Solomon as Israel’s main threat came from cross-balls.
Elhamed is showing consistency at left-back
This wasn’t a fluke display either. Ruttensteiner also threw Elhamed in at left-back against Scotland for their crucial Euro 2020 playoff clash at Hampden last month. The former Be’er Sheva man had Motherwell’s Stephen O’Donnell on toast, and was one of Israel’s liveliest players going forward.
I can’t sing the praises of Elhamed highly enough. He’s a tremendous footballer whose versatility doesn’t get anywhere near the praise it should. Across that backline, he’s evidently a player who can play absolutely anywhere.
Sure, we have options at left-back. Diego Laxalt and Greg Taylor can operate there, whilst there’s nobody available to back-up Jeremie Frimpong on the right side other than Elhamed.
But this could still be something Lennon tries if Laxalt doesn’t stay in Glasgow beyond the summer. Elhamed may even be a better option than Taylor, even if he is naturally right-footed. It’s something the manager could do with checking out in training if he hasn’t done already.
Of course, Elhamed has stated that he’s comfortable playing at left-back in the past. Months after arriving in 2019, he told the Scottish Sun the following:
“It doesn’t matter to me whether it is right-back, left-back or central defence. I’m confident I can make the right decisions regardless of what position I play in.
He’s beenn forced to put that theory to the test, and so far he’s impressing. Yes, his red card was a bit of a bizarre one on Sunday night, but he can be forgiven for it. He was exceptional for the rest of the contest and continues to show what he can offer Celtic if he features more regularly.
Hopefully he can stay injury-free and get a run in the side over the Christmas period. And if an injury crisis hits and Lennon needs an alternative left-back, it’s clear Elhamed can do the trick.
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