Greg Taylor has been watching from afar as Dane Murray finally begins to silence his critics in a Celtic shirt.
Taylor, now playing for PAOK, recently highlighted Murray as a ‘top talent’ who has shown ‘big personality’ to overcome the massive hurdles placed in his path.
It is a significant endorsement for a player who has spent the season navigating a complicated defensive hierarchy under Brendan Rodgers, Wilfried Nancy and now Martin O’Neill.
“Big Dane, another one that deserves a shoutout because he has had difficult moments,” said Taylor after Murray’s showing at Ibrox.
Murray was injured for Celtic’s trip to Aberdeen last week, so it meant that he remained on the bench for the Scottish Cup quarter-final clash against Rangers on Sunday.
After the hour mark, O’Neill hooked off Benjamin Arthur and introduced Murray into the action, and he didn’t disappoint as Celtic beat Rangers on penalties.
Celtic’s run of fixtures before the the SPFL split.
How many points are we picking up from these?
Greg Taylor is impressed by Dane Murray as he stands tall for Celtic against Rangers
With Cameron Carter-Vickers suffering a season-ending injury, the door opened for Murray to prove he belongs ahead of more senior options.
The 22-year-old was notably picked ahead of Stephen Welsh, who subsequently re-joined Motherwell on loan in January, positioning Murray as the definitive next man up alongside Auston Trusty and Liam Scales.
Despite that pressure, added with several high-profile mistakes, Murray has stood tall, effectively answering those who questioned his readiness for the first team.
Nowhere was this resilience more evident than at Ibrox recently.
In the wake of a difficult afternoon at Tynecastle earlier in the campaign, Murray delivered a composed, towering display in the Glasgow derby cauldron.
It was the kind of ‘big personality’ performance that Taylor alluded to, proving that Murray has the mental fortitude to thrive at Celtic despite his previous injury nightmares, as he told Premier Sports.
“Big Dane, another one that deserves a shoutout because he has had difficult moments,” said Taylor. “If you don’t talk about the two major injuries he has had.
“The difficult moments since he has come back. He is still out there. I think in the last few weeks, he has shown a big personality and shown the real top talent that he is.
“Hopefully, he can kick on from there.”
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