Celtic winger Jonny Hayes hasn’t always found it easy to break into the Hoops first-team. But his performance against Valencia showed that on his day he is more than capable of playing a key role for the Bhoys.
Hayes turned in a battling display at the Mestalla, playing well in both the wing and full-back position, showing that he can handle the big occasion in both defence and attack.
Battling Display
Despite the Hoops losing 1-0 on the night, fans took to Twitter post-match to hail Hayes’ performance for the Bhoys.
https://twitter.com/Fazbhoy/status/1098683956155822082
https://twitter.com/Stephen81695691/status/1098679848489369602
https://twitter.com/KellyHowe94/status/1098676183301087232
Hayes’ start in Spain was only his 12th appearance of the season for the Bhoys. But in recent weeks he has shown he is more than capable of playing at left-back for the Hoops.
Intriguing where he fits in the team
He is possibly the second choice left-back at the club now, behind Kieran Tierney and ahead of Emilio Izaguirre. Of course, Hayes does have his attacking attributes also, and it will be intriguing to see where plays in the team going forward.
You can understand why Brendan Rodgers signed Hayes from Aberdeen in the first place when looking at his performance in Spain. He worked very hard, and his commitment was second to none.
Hayes will be hoping for more starts between now and the end of the season, and his display in Spain could help him achieve that.
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