You almost get the impression that Neil Lennon will have the words “Once played Callum McGregor at left-back” written on his gravestone when he sadly passes on from this life.
The Northern Irishman received the mother of bashings when he sent the midfielder to the wing-back role as Celtic crashed out of the Champions League to Cluj in August. Lennon never admitted he’d made an error publicly, but the speed at which he restored Boli Bolingoli to the team did as good as that.
The Belgian has since missed just two matches for Celtic – being rested for both the home games against Partick Thistle and St. Mirren. That tally will rise to three on Thursday night as he misses out on the glamour of a trip to the Stadio Olimpico against Lazio. (Daily Record)
Lennon is therefore faced with another left-back dilemma. Greg Taylor or Jonny Hayes? The left-back or the left-winger? You’d think the answer would be pretty obvious given what’s gone before.
Lennon must learn McGregor lesson
Yet there’s a feeling (based on nothing other than a hunch) that Hayes may get the nod in Rome. The Irishman is one of Lennon’s favourites and is regularly trusted when it comes to crunch time.
The 32-year-old is just about as reliable as they come. He has rarely let the club down since joining in 2017. But surely he can’t be preferred ahead of Taylor – an actual full-back who we signed for £2.2million (Daily Mail) just a couple of months ago.
Hayes can fill in the unconventional role in the odd domestic match, against St. Johnstone and the like. But putting him in the firing line away to the team currently fourth in Serie A seems like an altogether different task.
It’s a big decision for Neil Lennon. Let’s just hope that he learns an important lesson from earlier on this season. That image of a weary, out of position Callum McGregor has tended to linger.
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