Former Celtic midfielder Nir Bitton has sent a message of congratulations to ex-teammate Liel Abada after his hat-trick on Sunday afternoon.
This summer, Bitton’s time at Celtic Park came to an end after a successful nine-year stay at the club.
The 30-year-old had a big impact during that time, helping the Hoops to trophy success which included eight Scottish Premiership titles, four Scottish Cups and six League Cups.
Despite a disappointing campaign in 2020/21, the arrival of Ange Postecoglou marked the chance to turn around his fortunes at Celtic.
And Bitton did exactly that, becoming a very useful squad player under the 57-year-old in his first 12 months in the Parkhead dugout.
Not only was Bitton a huge help for Postecoglou, though. There was also one teammate in particular whom he held a close bond with.
That man was fellow countryman Liel Abada.
Arriving in Glasgow from Israel at just 19 years old, it was understandable that Abada was going to need some time to settle in.
However, the winger hit the ground running, picking up 26 goal contributions across a very impressive first season in green and white.
Abada may have had Bitton to thank for his part to play in settling in at Celtic after the midfielder took him under his wing and helped him integrate with the squad.
After Bitton secured his exit this summer, joining Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Celtic youngster spoke out in an interview about how much of an impact he had as a ‘big brother’ figure.
Although the former Hoops midfielder’s time at Parkhead has come to an end, Bitton is clearly still keeping a watchful eye over the club he spent a huge chunk of his career with.
On Sunday afternoon, the Israeli internationalist took to Instagram to congratulate Liel Abada on his impressive hat-trick in the Bhoys’ emphatic 9-0 win over Dundee United.
He said: “First three goals, my brother!! Congratulations 🥳🥳“
It is always great to see former players remaining interested in how the club are getting on.
With Bitton, it probably comes as no surprise to see he is doing precisely that, keeping a watchful eye over the fortunes of Celtic and his former teammates.
The midfielder must have been delighted to see Abada’s contributions to the fantastic victory last weekend, after earning just his first start of the season.
Abada will now be hoping to kick on and keep his place in the side with some huge games on the horizon, starting with Wednesday night’s fixture against Ross County.
In other news, Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou delivers verdict on Rangers ahead of first derby meeting.
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