OPINION
Celtic were robbed of their Scottish Premiership title celebrations for another week after Rangers beat Hearts, but Neil Lennon’s attention is no doubt focused on one of his key players.
Kieran Tierney has been out for a while with an ongoing hip injury, and seeing as he does not look like he is going to return to the fold before the end of the season, Lennon has had to turn to other players to take over his role.
Step forward Emilio Izaguirre, who played at left-back for the 0-0 draw with Hibernian on Sunday. Lennon will no doubt be kicking himself for starting the 32-year-old after what was a woeful display from him – he struggled to cope with onslaught from the opposition.
He is far too slow to be playing at left-back for a club like Celtic, and the fans are no doubt fuming after such a torrid display from him. If he cannot cope against the likes of Hibernian, how on earth does he expect to be a starter for the Hoops?
Lennon may have his hands tied slightly due to Tierney’s injury – that is a given. However, at the age of 32, Izaguirre should not be their back-up option anymore. They need to recruit a new left-back in the summer, as he is not fit enough to be in a side competing for all of the honours in Scotland.
If Lennon is given the managerial job on a permanent basis, then finding someone to replace Izaguirre – who was signed in 2010 – should be at the top of his list of priorities, that is for sure. His performance on Sunday has just reinforced that even further.
The 5ft 10in [Transfermarkt] defender needs to be binned permanently in the summer, as his outing against Hibernian has showed how much of a liability he is.