OPINION
One of the first names on the team sheet at Celtic is always going to be left back Kieran Tierney – and his absence has highlighted a worrying issue in the squad at Parkhead.
The Scottish international has not been available to manager Brendan Rodgers thanks to an injury blow, leaving Emilio Izaguirre to deputise in his place.
However, the Honduran international has hardly lived up to his counterpart’s standards and was so poor against Aberdeen that he was axed at half time, winger Jonny Haye taking on the left back role as a makeshift option.
Ahead of Celtic’s clash against Rangers, former Hoop Mark Wilson has insisted that Izaguirre should get the nod ahead of Haye, insisting that out-on-loan 20-year-old Calvin Miller is no better than the options at Parkhead.
He told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, as quoted by the Scottish Sun: “In terms of left backs, Celtic have got Calvin Miller out on loan at Dundee. Is he better than Emilio Izaguirre just now? I don’t think so.”
Now the youngster might be playing in a struggling Dundee side, having agreed a loan deal in the summer, but there is no doubt that Izaguirre is lacking in the ability to live up to Celtic’s standards and with that in mind it is time for Rodgers to tear up Miller’s loan and give him a shot in the first team.
He has been playing regular top flight football this season and has shown an ability to make an impact at the other end of the pitch, scoring once and assisting three goals for his teammates.
Haye is not a left back and Izaguirre is some way off the pace and so Wilson has got it horribly wrong about young Miller – he is more than deserving of a chance in the first team in the new year.