Boli Bolingoli has been a mainstay for Celtic this season. He has been an almost ever present in the Hoops side since joining the club from Rapid Vienna for £3 million in the summer.
He has overcome a slow start to his Celtic career to become one of the most important players in the team. However, he could soon have a challenge on his hands for his left-back slot in the side.
Bolingoli was left out of the side which defeated St Mirren 2-0 on Wednesday night. He was replaced by Greg Taylor, who made his long-awaited Celtic debut.
Taylor played well enough in the game, and will no doubt be in Neil Lennon’s plans for the weeks ahead. However, Taylor will not be eligible to play in the Betfred Cup semi-final against Hibs on Saturday.
Chance to prove a point
That means that Bolingoli is more than likely to return to the first-team. It also gives the player a chance to lay down a marker for the rest of the season.
Bolingoli can turn in a great performance which tells Taylor that he isn’t ready to give up the left-back slot just yet.
That would delight Celtic boss Neil Lennon. He will want healthy competition for all his the positions in the first-team.
Made the left-back role his own
So far, Bolingoli has made the left-back role his own. But that could change now that Taylor has finally made his debut for the Hoops.
That is why Bolingoli will be so keen to put on a good performance against Hibs. He has been in good form for the Hoops recently. That should continue against a struggling Hibs side in the semi-final.
However, he now knows that a poor performance could see Taylor take his place in the side. That will surely keep Bolingoli on his toes, and motivated to turn in an excellent performance.
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