On the face of it, Jonny Hayes’ move to Celtic has not been the greatest success. In his two seasons at the club, he has made only 34 appearances so far. Although it should be pointed out that he suffered a season ending leg injury against Dundee in 2017.
However, it looks like Hayes will finally get an opportunity to shine for Celtic, and play a key role in the bid to complete the domestic treble.
A likely replacement
Hayes has been an outcast for much of his time at Celtic. But he seems most likely to replace Kieran Tierney as left-back in the Hoops side.
Neil Lennon has confirmed that Tierney is a doubt for Sunday’s Glasgow derby against Rangers, and Hayes has to be considered favourite to replace him in the side.
Even though Hayes is primarily an attacker, he has played at left-back for the Hoops before. He was excellent in the 4-3 win over Aberdeen in December.
Faith in the player
It is obvious that Lennon has faith in the player. He brought him on in the second-half on the recent 1-0 win over Dundee, in an attempt to win the three points.
Hayes contributed far more than most of his team-mates did that day.
As Tierney continues to struggle with injury, Hayes has a chance to make the left-back position his own for the rest of the season. That is a development few would have seen coming at the start of the season.
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