Colby Donovan continues to impress Celtic fans after his performance against Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League.
The defender had a great game in Celtic’s draw with Red Star and it seems that Brendan Rodgers has found himself a new star in the making.
Donovan has made six appearances for Celtic this season but his big test was in Belgrade and he passed it with flying colours.
Now with another 90 minutes under his belt, how did Donovan get through last night’s Europa League tie looking like a seasoned pro?
Speaking post-match, the young Celtic defender revealed when he was told he was getting the nod and it could explain why he performed so well.
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Colby Donovan was told he was starting for Celtic vs Red Star on Tuesday
Donovan completed the whole 90 minutes of Celtic’s draw at Red Star as he put in another accomplished performance.
When asked how he was feeling post-match, Donovan told TNT Sports, “Brilliant, to get the start and come into a big game, we know it’s a hard place to come and they put me in at the start, and then get the point over here is brilliant. I’m just over the moon.”
When asked if he was nervous about getting the nod to start, Donovan said, “Yeah, it was at first, when I found out yesterday I was starting, there was a bit of nerves but you’ve always got to have nerves as a young player.
“But as soon as I got over here, it just left me. Soon as I heard the first whistle, it was time to go, time to work.”
Having a full day to digest the news that he was being thrown in against Red Star by Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers clearly helped young Donovan because he put in a superb performance in Serbia.
What next for Colby Donovan, Anthony Ralston and Celtic
With Alistair Johnston back in training, it is likely that the Canadian could make his return to the first team in Celtic’s next fixture against Hibs.
As for Ralston and Donovan, what happens next for the Hoops duo? By the looks of it Donovan has done his chances of being back-up to Johnston no harm at all over the last few games.
The young defender could now be preferred as the second-choice right-back with Ralston now dropping down the pecking order.
Healthy competition for that area of the pitch is a great headache for Rodgers to have so it will be interesting to see how the Celtic boss manages this for the rest of the season.
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