Celtic players are hard at work in Portugal preparing for the new season, but they’re also having plenty of fun too, if the club’s social media updates are anything to go by.
The official Celtic Twitter account posted this evening that the squad took part in a six-a-side training tournament at ‘The Campus’ centre on the Algarve, with an unconventional group coming out on top from the afternoon’s action.
Ben Siegrist, Stephen Welsh, Matthew Anderson, Reo Hatate, Sead Haksabanovic and Hyeongyu Oh all looked delighted with their efforts as victors over the rest of the group, earning credit from their coaches and a bit of spotlight on social media.
The media team have promised to upload clips and highlights of the event across social media channels soon, with stars such as Callum McGregor and Carl Starfelt spotted amongst the participants.
To my mind, any 6-a-side team with Hatate in it is going to do well given his all-around skill and technical ability – but I’m sure the others were significant contributors too!
It’s actually a big pre-season for all of the winners. Only Hatate has really cemented himself as a regular starter in the first-team and they will all be desperate to catch the eye of Brendan Rodgers.
Siegrist has lots of work to do to get himself back into Celtic contention falling behind even Scott Bain towards the end of last season.
Haksabanovic showed glimpses of his quality last term but has yet to find consistency in a Celtic shirt. With Jota heading off to Saudi Arabia, he has a big chance to secure more regular football under Rodgers.
Welsh has found it difficult to be included in the Celtic defence since his promotion to the senior squad but the new manager could give him a new lease of life at the Bhoys. If not, keeping himself in as good condition as possible for a move elsewhere will be the aim.
Oh, meanwhile, had a solid start to life at the Bhoys following his move from South Korea in January and will be eager to hit the ground running in support of Kyogo Furuhashi in the new season.
Youngster Anderson will be relishing the chance to work with the club’s established stars and looking to start establishing relationships that lead to a bright Bhoys future.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers states the achievable UEFA Champions League goal for Celtic this season.
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