Kevin Thomson has revealed that he tried to sign Celtic’s Dane Murray while managing Kelty Hearts.
Despite costing Celtic a goal with his error last week, Murray has recovered to earn positive reviews for his performances in the back-to-back clashes at Ibrox.
Dropped in favour of Benjamin Arthur, the Parkhead academy graduate was introduced on the hour mark on Sunday, impressing with his defensive shift in an eventual clean sheet.
He may only just be making a name for himself in the senior game, but Murray has been a man in demand for a number of years.
The duality of Dane Murray…
Kelty Hearts on trying to sign Celtic’s Dane Murray on loan
Speaking on The Breakdown, Thomson said: “Fair play to him for his mentality, when you talk about that.
“I know he’s not as young as people think he is… I was speaking to [Darren] O’Dea last night about him, obviously back-to-back ACLs.
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“He’s a player, actually, that flagged up to us when we were at Kelty.
“We asked about him, but [Celtic] said that he was levels above us as such. But somebody that’s got a huge reputation.
“To go to Ibrox, probably – and I’m only summarising – that he got a bit of flak and a bit of stick off the back of the mistake the previous week.
“To show the personality to get back in, obviously coming on as a sub, to get back on the pitch and play as well as he did when he came on… aye, fair play to him, man.”
Murray made his Celtic debut shortly after his 18th birthday, being catapulted into senior action by Ange Postecoglou after a red card to Nir Bitton.
He sustained the significant knee injuries shortly later, keeping him out of action for multiple years. Last season, he impressed during six months on loan at Queens Park.
Celtic’s run of fixtures before the the SPFL split.
How many points are we picking up from these?
Other Celtic players who impressed against Rangers
All four of Celtic’s central defenders – Murray, Arthur, Liam Scales and Auston Trusty – impressed in their own roles on Sunday. It was a game that required a lot of last-ditch defending.
Viljami Sinisalo’s performance across the 120 minutes was the most encouraging sign yet that he can be Celtic’s next first-choice goalkeeper.
Paulo Bernardo did his bit on a rare appearance from the bench, while Julian Araujo strengthened the club’s case for signing him permanently.
The Hoops’ midfield and attack were… less impressive, hence such a constant need for defensive contributions.
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