Joe Hart lauds ‘underrated’ Celtic star who ‘didn’t think he had a future’ after draw in Belgrade

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Celtic began their unwanted Europa League campaign in Belgrade on Wednesday night.

Of course, Celtic preferred Champions League football, but everyone shot themselves in the foot in that regard, as the shares were spoiled against Red Star.

The game was being broadcast on TNT Sports, with former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart on commentary duty, and he shared some interesting comments about his ex-teammates.

Several Celtic players divide opinion amongst the fanbase, and you can probably put Liam Scales in that boat, but Hart views him differently from the Irishman’s critics.

• READ MORE: Joe Hart reveals Celtic star missed training sessions in spell when he was ‘not quite with it’

Joe Hart says Liam Scales is ‘underrated’ for Celtic

When Brendan Rodgers returned to Celtic for his second spell, Scales had just been on loan at Aberdeen, and he was expected to go back.

Hart stated on TNT Sports (24/09/25), the player himself ‘didn’t think he had a future’ at Parkhead, but injuries opened the door for him.

That’s when Scales took his chance, and as Hart put it, he is now proving to be an ‘underrated’ figure within this Celtic team.

“He’s an underrated player, Liam Scales,” said Hart. “When I first came in, he didn’t think he had a future at Celtic; that’s where he was going, he was headed to Aberdeen.

“He didn’t feel like he had a future, and then injuries happened. He has grown since then. A really established centre-half for Celtic. Boyhood fan. Just safe, really safe to play with. Really organised.”

Scales’ stats for Celtic against Red Star Belgrade

There was a right good battle between Marko Arnautovic and Scales in Belgrade, with the duo even clashing moments after the former Inter player had equalised.

But overall, it was a solid display from the Republic of Ireland international, and once again, he produced a pretty strong defensive display.

Yes, critics moan about his passing, but at the end of the day, he is there to defend first, second and third.

• Minutes: 90
• WhoScored rating: 7.01
• Shots: 1
• Aerials won: 5
• Clearances: 10
• Fouls: 2
• Touches: 110
• Passes: 94
• Accurate long balls: 2
• Passing accuracy: 88.3%