Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has handed hope to David Turnbull that he can play a significant role at the Hoops this season.
Turnbull came off the bench against Athletic Club on Tuesday night and impressed in his midfield role, even netting the winning goal in a 3-2 victory – his second effort in pre-season.
Having started just nine times last term and with less than a year left on his contract, there have been debates surrounding Turnbull’s Celtic future. But Rodgers likes what he sees so far.
The Bhoys boss said [Daily Record]: “Excellent, he was very good. He’s been good in pre-season. I really like him as a footballer – he’s got tools, he’s comfortable on the ball and can score goals. His efficiency is very good. He just needs to keep working and to keep on the move. It’s always important with those players that they don’t turn the engine off.
“A lot of these guys I don’t know, so for me there is a clean slate for them all. It’s assessing over the course of pre-
season, what they’ve done in the past doesn’t really matter. That includes the guys who have worked with me before. In order to have that hunger, that’s how it has to be.”
Decisions on Turnbull’s future may have to be made quite quickly. He signed a four-year contract in 2020 meaning that he is free to speak to clubs on a pre-contract basis in January.
If Celtic are keen to recoup a fee for him, the coming month will be the last chance to do that. However, it seems that if Turnbull himself wants a Bhoys future there is scope for him to earn a new deal.
Rodgers is clearly an early ally and if he can start impressively in the early stages of the competitive season, there’ll be a clamouring for the club to sign him up on new terms.
He’s certainly positioned himself into the reckoning for more game time, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can truly compete against other impressive midfield options.
In other news, Explained: UEFA’s homegrown quota rules and what they mean for Celtic this season.
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