Celtic goalkeeper Conor Hazard managed to secure only his third cap for Northern Ireland against Estonia yesterday.
Hazard was given the final half-hour of their 1-0 friendly win in Talinn, in which he was called upon to produce a big late moment when he stopped Henri Anier with a fine reaction save.
It was Hazard’s first game of football since pre-season. Ange Postecoglou hasn’t featured him in a single matchday squad since his first competitive game against Midtjylland.
The academy graduate finds himself stuck at Parkhead as fourth choice. His last competitive game for the club came back in January against Livingston.
Yet he’s still continuously called up by Northern Ireland boss Ian Baraclough. Despite being behind Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Trevor Carson in the pecking order, Hazard was given a shot against the Estonians and managed to make his mark.
It remains to be seen if he’s given any involvement in their final match of the international break against Switzerland on Wednesday night.
Celtic goalkeeper Conor Hazard has the potential to be Northern Ireland number one
It says a lot that Baraclough continues to give Hazard minutes despite him being nowhere near the first-team picture at Celtic. He’s the manager who also made Hazard his under-21 captain a couple of years ago.
There’s a strong relationship there between the pair. However, so long as Hazard isn’t playing regularly at club level, his chances of being number one are minimal at best.
He has a big chance to benefit from the relationship he has with Baraclough. But in order for him to do that, he needs to find a way out of Parkhead. It’s clear even this early on that Celtic boss Postecoglou doesn’t favour him.
It was a surprising move when Hazard extended his contract until 2023 last season. Especially when he’s constantly spoken of his desire to play first-team football [Belfast Telegraph]. Now, he finds himself in an even worse position than he was last term.
At the very least, Hazard was still being given opportunities last season. He was third choice, but there were spells when he could’ve broken through and solidified himself as our number one.
This season, that looks so far from being the case. He’s fourth choice, and the fact he’s still in international contention is a major surprise. But he came up trumps for his country yesterday when called upon, and at the very least, that’ll keep his spirits high.
In other news, Celtic must ensure Dane Murray’s development path isn’t halted
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
