Alex Valle was handed an opportunity to impress for Celtic on Saturday night as the Bhoys thrashed St Johnstone 6-0 in the Scottish Premiership.
Established left-back Greg Taylor was substituted at half-time as a precautionary measure due to a calf complaint. Brendan Rodgers is keen to keep the Scotland international fresh for Tuesday night’s match against Borussia Dortmund.
That meant Barcelona loanee Valle was given his first league minutes of the season, and it’s fair to say he took his big chance.
The Spaniard was an excellent threat on the left flank and showed off his ability with an outrageous back-heeled assist for Adam Idah to prod home for Celtic’s sixth.
- READ MORE: Celtic’s Summer 2024 Signings & Exits
Valle received the ball from Liam Scales and expertly turned to lay off Luke McCowan, whose pinpoint dinked pass found the left-back in the box.
The 20-year-old demonstrated his La Masia education with his flick to Idah for what was arguably Celtic’s most beautiful goal of the season so far.
Barcelona fans left impressed by Alex Valle’s Celtic impact
Clips of the goal are quickly going viral online and Barcelona fans are reacting in a big way, apparently left frustrated that Hansi Flick let the player leave on loan to persist with Gerard Martin.
One fan said: “Does anyone have a logical reason why we sent him out on loan again?”
Another Barcelona supporter added: “Flick disposed of this guy for Gerard Martin. I respect you Mr. Flick but damn you really fumbled this time around.”
Valle was given opportunities at his parent club during pre-season and managed to stand out, adding to the frustration for some fans.
One complaint said: “I am baffled as to why we didn’t keep him in the team this season. He looked better than Martin playing out of position in pre-season.”
Some even reckon Valle can push Spanish international Alejandro Balde for a starting spot if he returns to Barcelona next season.
One supporter said: “How did Flick not get this one right? Valle is so obviously better than Gerard Martin, and can rival Baldé properly for minutes.”
Another concluded: “He is coming for Baldé next season.”
One fan summed it all up, urging: “Get my boy back ASAP!”
Alex Valle’s Celtic numbers vs St Johnstone
After an underwhelming cup debut against Falkirk last week, Saturday night’s match was a much better indication that Valle can perform well at Celtic despite only being on the pitch for 45 minutes.
Surrounded by better players with more support on the left wing, Valle thrived in his first Premiership test.
The left-back won the majority of his duels, four from five on the ground, as well as successfully completed a tackle and interception.
In possession, he was accurate with 27 of his 30 passes and successful with one of two attempted dribbles, also setting Idah up with the highlight goal.
Despite only playing for a single half, FotMob gave him an impressive overall match rating of 7.6.
While some Barcelona fans miss him, the Celtic support are looking forward to seeing more in the coming weeks.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
