James McFadden heaped praise on Celtic goalkeeper Scott Bain and claimed that he made Brendan Rodgers happy due to being so comfortable on the ball.
The Sky Sports pundit described the 27-year-old Hoops shot-stopper’s passing range as excellent and claimed that he made look easy when ever the ball was at his feet.
McFadden also noted that Bain wasn’t just a goalkeeper who was comfortable playing out from the back but was one who was actually good between the sticks as well when called into action.
“It certainly looks like (is he the No.1 keeper at Celtic) it I think the fact he has surpassed Craig Gordon shows how well he has done, for me when playing against him at Dundee, I was always impressed with him, a lot of people say about his size as he is a big goalkeeper but he makes up for that with his agility, his shot-stopping is very good, he is so comfortable with the ball at his feet,” said McFadden on Sky Sports Main Event (Sunday February 17th 15:42)
“He’s a really good goalkeeper, every time he is called upon he never lets them down, he is so calm and composed, and I think the defence feel his composure.
“That’s what Brendan is looking for, his passing, range of passes is excellent, you can see why Brendan is so happy with him but also the players that are playing with him are giving him options so he is making passes, and he makes it look easy.
“Makes it look really easy and that adds pressure, he’s come in and a lot is said about modern day goalkeepers with the ball at their feet but you also need to be a really good goalkeeper and that is what he is.”
OPINION
Bain does look like he is Rodgers’ first-choice when it goes to goalkeepers at Celtic and it’s more than deserved. The 27-year-old is reliable presence in goal for the Hoops and his range of passes make it easy for him to set his side on the attack. In fact Bain is so impressive that he even didn’t look out of sorts when playing against Valencia in mid-week, which was a testament to his talents as a lot of his teammates looked out of their depth. Hopefully Rodgers continues to stick with Bain between the sticks until end of the season as you feel it would be smart move, that would help trophies arrive at the club easier. The 27-year-old has featured 15 times this season and has kept a very impressive 13 clean sheets in the process. While McFadden is clearly impressed with Bain’s passing ability, it’s worth noting that it’s way more important to Celtic that he is first and foremost a great last line of defence.