Lawrence Shankland’s opening goal for Hearts during May’s blockbuster title decider certainly sent ripples of anxiety through the Celtic faithful.
Yet the forward, who recently sealed a move to Rangers, was ultimately shown who dictates terms in Scottish football as Martin O’Neill successfully rallied Celtic to title number 56.
Now, Shankland is at the 2026 World Cup with Scotland, and Ian Wright was discussing the Tartan Army’s chances on world football’s biggest stage.
While backing Shankland as the clinical goalscorer Steve Clarke desperately needs, the former Celtic striker pointed to the forward’s ‘unlucky’ season at Hearts after being pipped to the finish line by the Hoops.
“Fingers crossed it can go well for him (Shankland at the World Cup), because he has had a brilliant season,” said Wright.
“So unlucky Hearts were not to finish off the league. Celtic doing it. Well done to Celtic.”
Celtic fans, will you be tuning into the 2026 World Cup?
🚨 A lot of off-field noise around it 🚨
Ian Wright on ‘getting stick’ from Celtic fans for backing Hearts for the title
As the months were ticking down to the recent campaign, people from the outside were paying more attention to the Scottish game than ever before.
That’s because Celtic’s utter dominance was being threatened. Added to the fact that Hearts could win a title for the first time in decades.
As a result, you had many neutral supporters backing the Jambos for title glory.
You even had Hibs supporter Andy Murray backing Hearts.
But it seems as though Wright, who was talking during ITV’s coverage of the World Cup and Scotland’s chances, was also in that camp too.
Despite playing for Celtic in his career, he too was backing Derek McInnes’ men for glory, and he shared that he ‘got stick’ for it.
Wright: “I think Scotland will be looking forward to it, because they will fancy being Haiti, which they should do; I am not disrespecting Haiti.
“Then you have Morocco. You beat Haiti, and you go into that game with a little bit more momentum, then you have a breeze against the great Brazil. It’s really good for Scotland. I feel really confident for Scotland.”
Roy Keane: “Do they need a goalscorer? They lack that real out-and-out goalscorer.”
Wright: “I think they have it in Shankland. He has just gone to Rangers. Great signing for them – I don’t think they have had that profile of striker for a long time.
“Fingers crossed it can go well for him, because he has had a brilliant season. So unlucky Hearts were not to finish off the league. Celtic doing it. Well done to Celtic.
“I got a lot of stick from Scottish fans. Celtic fans saying, ‘Oh, you wanted Hearts to win.'”
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