Some Celtic fans have been reacting to Hatem Elhamed making his return against St Mirren yesterday at Parkhead, with Neil Lennon throwing him on in the closing stages.
It was a perfect day for Hoops supporters after we secured a massive 5-0 victory against the Buddies. Topping it all off was a fine nine-minute cameo from Elhamed, who managed to make his first appearance for the club since the 2-1 win in Lazio back in November.
He even had time to make an impact too as he got up and down the right side to combine with James Forrest. It was Elhamed’s quick feet that won Celtic the penalty that secured the fifth goal. He then played another lovely give-and-go with Forrest that saw him rattle the side-netting with a powerful effort.
Elhamed’s display didn’t go unnoticed either. Reacting to his return yesterday, here’s a look at what some fans had to say:
https://twitter.com/marcmcardle1/status/1236330564761894916
https://twitter.com/kevbhoy25/status/1236354952097914890
https://twitter.com/Colin_Ferrie/status/1236345840442245121
https://twitter.com/I_C_Celtic/status/1236356328005799936
https://twitter.com/CelticNation67/status/1236363539604017152
https://twitter.com/McAlpine1997/status/1236334545118605318
Injury knock? What injury knock?
The biggest compliment you could pay to Elhamed after yesterday is that you wouldn’t have known he had been out for four months.
Usually, it takes players time to get used to being back out onto a pitch again. Even more so getting them up to speed when it comes to the pace needed at first-team level. However, that most certainly wasn’t the case with Elhamed yesterday.
Outside of securing the penalty and his late shot at goal, he just looked re-energised, efficient, and injury-free. The Israeli didn’t show any ill-effects from his previous knock, and it’s clear he’s ready to be considered for first-team action once again.
What an option he could be to Celtic too. With Lennon recently adopting a new 3-5-2 formation, he would be a terrific option for the right-sided centre-back position. Elhamed is capable of playing both as a right-back or as a centre-back. Therefore, when necessary, he can surely slot in alongside Christopher Jullien and Kris Ajer.
A start at Ibrox next week will surely be too soon of course. Given his long injury layoff, Lennon will likely want to play it safe and go with players who have been featuring regularly.
But make no mistake, this is a big, big positive for Celtic. In the coming weeks after Ibrox, don’t be surprised to see Elhamed slowly find his way back into the team on a regular basis.
How do you feel about Elhamed’s return? Does he go straight into the starting line-up next week for you? Where does he rank in terms of the club’s best defenders? Let us know in the comment section below.
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