We continue our season report of Celtic’s players in 2018/19 with a look at Celtic’s number 15 Jonny Hayes.
What an interesting season it has been for Jonny Hayes. He has gone from being a bit-part player to becoming one of the first picks in the side.
The transformation started under former boss Brendan Rodgers. He brought the player in from the cold to replace the injured Kieran Tierney at left-back.
Few mistakes made
In fact, one of the few mistakes Rodgers made in his tenure as Hoops manager was not playing Hayes at left-back in the 1-0 loss to Rangers at Ibrox in December.
Hayes continued to have a run in the side under Neil Lennon. His best game for the club was arguably the Scottish Cup semi-final win over Aberdeen. He was also selected in the Scottish Cup Final victory over Hearts.
Big part to play in Champions League
It now seems that Hayes has a future with the club. He has a real chance of being involved in the Champions League qualifiers, as Kieran Tierney is recovering from a hernia operation.
Interestingly, Hayes only has one year left on his Hoops contract. However, you would imagine that Neil Lennon will want to keep the player at the club on a new deal.
Hayes may not have been as influential for the Hoops as he was at Aberdeen. However, he has turned into a valuable player in the last few months.
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