Anthony Ralston has been given a massive boost, as Celtic reportedly rejected an enquiry from St Mirren regarding his availability.
According to the Daily Star, Celtic were approached by their fellow Premiership colleagues. A loan deal was likely what they were hoping to achieve, but the Hoops rebuffed the offer.
It’s a massive shot in the arm for Ralston. He’s now featured on three occasions over the last month alone. Games against Motherwell, Dundee, and Rangers has him back in first-team contention.
As Mikael Lustig continues to under-perform, Ralston is currently the only available cover. Cristian Gamboa is also there, but his time at Parkhead is surely coming to an end.
With Celtic in the market for a new right-back, however, this could’ve posed questions regarding the academy graduate’s future in Glasgow.
Fortunately for Ralston, he’s clearly highly thought of inside the club.
MORE CELTIC STORIES
He did have a loan spell at Dundee United last season, but it was largely one to forget. Whilst he did make a sound 15 appearances with the Tannadice club, it was at a time when they were riddled with uncertainty.
Another loan full of instability won’t help Ralston
It didn’t do too much for his development, and a move to St Mirren likely wouldn’t either. The Buddies are struggling massively under new manager Oran Kearney, who’s won just two of 17 games in charge.
The last thing the right-back needs is another loan spell at a club who could be set to change managers. Ralston instead needs some stability, and Celtic provides him with that.
It will be interesting to see what the second-half of the season brings for him. With the likes of Timothy Castagne having been linked with the club in this window, a high-quality right-back must be a priority.
Ralston, however, will be looking to build on his recent trio of outings too. Whether Rodgers has it in his mind to let him flourish in the second-half of the season is up-in-the-air. It could just be the case that the Hoops only want him there for cover.
Regardless, it’s a massive boost for young Ralston, who deserves the chance to finally make his mark at Parkhead.