Joe Hart knows what it’s like to transform your career at Celtic.
The former England star went from being an outcast at several English clubs to being an integral part of successful Hoops sides under Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers.
By the time that Hart retired in 2024, he had made himself one of the most adored Celtic goalkeepers of his era.
He now works in the media, where he is routinely an excellent ambassador for the Hoops, speaking highly of his spell there.
But reflecting on his time working with one Celtic star, Hart had some interesting details to reveal when working on the Hoops’ tie against Red Star Belgrade.
Celtic star missed training sessions reveals Joe Hart
Moving to Europe as a young player can be challenging – particularly when you are thrown into the first-team, and instantly have to adjust to those demands.
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Hart was at Manchester City when Kelechi Iheanacho did exactly that.
Speaking on TNT Sports, the Englishman explained: “He came in, and Manuel Pellegrini really believed in him. He was in our Manchester City squad, a complete unknown. Not relative unknown, complete unknown.
“He missed a few training sessions, he was little bit not quite with it, he didn’t quite understand the level that he was at. It was just about finding that.
“But he found it eventually. He had some big moments with Manchester City, and he got his move to Leicester, and it really brought him on.
“Difficult couple of months, difficult year if you like – but hey, Kelechi, we’ve all had them mate. When you come to this place and you can re-find your form, you can really find your quality.
There’s little doubt that Iheanacho will be a different player now.
Kelechi Iheanacho being benched shows Celtic’s new attacking depth
Many Hoops fans were unhappy with the recent transfer window for many reasons – one being a lack of attacking reinforcements.
Iheanacho wasn’t signed until after the end of the transfer window, after a failed pursuit of main targets such as Kasper Dolberg.
However, If Iheanacho can continue to contribute, striker could be one less position for Rodgers to worry about, despite the departures of Adam Idah and Kyogo Furuhashi.
Regardless of his performance level, he won’t be getting away with missing training sessions anymore.
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