Stephen McManus didn’t hold back when asked why former Celtic and Hibernian forward flopped at Parkhead

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Celtic face Hibernian at Celtic Park this weekend as the Scottish Premiership season reaches its final stages.

Brendan Rodgers’ side will look to continue the good work they have done in the final weeks after wrapping up the title and have their eyes on a Treble-winning season.

The Bhoys and Hibernian have a long history of players who have represented both teams with some being successes and others failing to cut the mustard at one or the other.

Stephen McManus, even though he never played for the Ediburgh-based outfit, is one of those to live up to standards at Parkhead.

One who wasn’t, however, was Derek Riordan.

Despite enjoying two fruitful spells at Easter Road, he never hit the ground running in Glasgow – even though Riordan claimed he could’ve matched Henrik Larsson’s scoring record.

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Stephen McManus reveals why Derek Riordan failed at Celtic

Signed by Celtic in 2006 after scoring 64 goals in his first spell at Hibs, Riordan didn’t repay the faith and only managed eight goals in 32 games before returning to Edinburgh in 2008.

McManus was at Celtic Park at the same time as the forward and during an interview with the Daily Express in 2008 revealed that his former teammate had no one to blame but himself.

“No. No he wasn’t,” said the Celtic B boss. “It’s not for me to say why it didn’t work for him here.”

“It takes a lot to play at a big club. You need to work hard and do your best every day.

“Everyone knows that – you don’t need me to pipe up and say that.”

Notable players to play for Celtic and Hibernian

Given the Irish connection between the two clubs, it’s no surprise to know that Celtic and Hibs have shared connections in terms of playing personnel.

Some of the better-known stars include the likes of Scott Brown and Kenny Dalglish, both of whom are Celtic legends.

Jackie McNamara also features and names from more recent times include Kris Commons and Anthony Stokes – who scored two goals for Hibs in their famous Scottish Cup final win against Rangers.