Celtic right-back Moritz Bauer proved himself at Hibs

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The performance of Moritz Bauer vs Hibernian went a long way to him proving himself as a Celtic player.

When he was signed from Stoke City last month, it was a bit of an eyebrow-raiser. After all, he was coming in on loan from a side then bottom of the Championship, and still bottom of the Championship just now.

He did have previous of course. Bauer was Ruben Kazan’s Player of the Year back in 2017. He made a success of it in Russia, and it was that form that earned him his Stoke move. At the time, they were still in the Premier League.

Regardless of that, however, he was still a surprise signing. Not many Celtic fans were overly-enthused by his arrival. He was looked upon as back-up to Hatem Abd Elhamed, and nothing has really changed in that sense.

But yesterday at Easter Road, Bauer proved he can more than cut it in Scotland.

It’s not just because the Austrian managed to bag his second assist in two starts. Impressive as that may be, it was his all-round game that impressed the most.

Sure, we had seen Bauer for 20-odd minutes at Ibrox. But we didn’t really learn anything from him there. And at home to Kilmarnock? That was a fairly routine introduction.

Bauer came through his first big 90-minute challenge

Hibs away, however, offered a more physical and challenging match for Bauer. And he came through it with flying colours.

The Stoke-owned star showed his pace as he consistently bombed down the right and made himself available. When he got into good areas, he also proved once again that his crossing ability is extensive. His cross for Ryan Christie’s leveler was sublime.

Bauer’s energy and drive caused Hibs all sorts of problems. He was denied a stone-wall penalty after racing beyond Daryl Horgan before being taken out. There was a purpose to his display yesterday. He was determined to make the most of his opportunity, and he certainly did.

Celtic may not have won the game. But Bauer was another big reason as to why we didn’t lose it. Nothing got past him down that right side. The sheer fitness levels he showed to be up and down the flank all game was incredible.

On another day, his performance would’ve earned us the three points. But as for Bauer on a personal level, he can be delighted with how he’s started life in Glasgow. We may only be a month into his tenure here, but he’s already proving plenty of doubters wrong.