Celtic-mad pundit disagrees with what he is hearing about Reo Hatate and Olivier Ntcham

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Celtic have been blessed to have many players who you would happily pay to watch on their day.

From the current crop of players at Celtic Park, someone like Reo Hatate falls into that category because he can be the best of the lot when he is at it.

That was proven when Celtic beat RB Leipzig in the Champions League this season – one of the Hoops’ best displays in Europe in many a year.

Who was at the heart of it all? The man from Japan, because Hatate was Man of the Match against the German side.

But, unfortunately for the Celtic fans, those performances haven’t come around too often, and recent displays from Hatate have been questioned.

Celtic got beaten by St Johnstone at the weekend – the Premiership’s bottom club, and it drew an interesting debate around Hatate, and the now-departed, Olivier Ntcham.

• READ MORE: ‘Slacking off’ – Reo Hatate shares where Celtic Champions League experience has helped his game

Celtic star Reo Hatate compared to Olivier Ntcham

Given Celtic’s performances and results in recent months, you might find that Brendan Rodgers makes a fair few changes for the clash against Kilmarnock on Saturday.

Stephen McGinn was responding to one Celtic fan who seemingly wants Hatate out of the XI, as he compared him to Ntcham, in regards to the duo being ‘the best midfielder in the country on his day’, and then not doing it often enough.

But Celtic-mad McGinn told Go Radio that, whilst it might ‘upset’ some of the critics, he is a huge fan of Hatate, and feels he just needs a few more things to become a ‘top player’. 

“See Hatate, you know who he reminds me of, not player-wise, not technique and the way he plays as a midfielder,” said the Celtic fan.

“But I am talking about inconsistency. Another player who was tagged with ‘best midfielder in the country, on his day, Olivier Ntcham.”

McGinn responded: “I am going to upset you because I love Hatate. I do. Honestly, he is so close to being the top player.

“It’s the bits, like the weekend, it’s probably the bits that frustrate the Celtic fans. That ball gets cut back to him. He doesn’t hit the outside of the post, it goes about 25 yards.

“He isn’t setting up as many as he has done in previous years. I don’t have the stats. But it doesn’t feel like he has the same amount of assists, as he had in previous seasons. I just think he is integral to what Celtic do and how they play.

“Probably a bit biased, when you are working at games and you see his preparation for the game, and the work he does after it.”

Hatate and Ntcham stats for Celtic

For those Celtic fans who want to know, Ntcham is still plying his trade in Europe, only 29, and playing in Turkey’s top-tier.

Ntcham is playing for Samsunspor, who are in the bottom half of the Super Lig, but he enjoyed far better times at Celtic.

Hatate has, no doubt, proven to be the better player, but this is how their times in the green and white compare.