Sky Sports’ Chris Hamill has praised Celtic defender Anthony Ralston for his performances this season and getting back into the team after just one league appearance for the Bhoys last season.
Celtic have enjoyed a tremendous rebuild under their new manager, Ange Postecoglou, which has seen them win the Scottish Premiership title in emphatic fashion. The rebuild the team has undergone has been monumental with the Australian manager making 17 additions to the squad through transfers and loans.
However, one player who has managed to make an impact while being on the squad for a long time is defender Ralston who came up through the Celtic youth academy and made his top-flight debut back in 2016.
His playtime and status at the club have not always been stellar, however, as despite making 47 appearances across all competitions for the Hoops this season, as Hamill stated, his lack of game time last season makes his comeback even more impressive.
Hamill revelled in the player’s development on Twitter, saying:
“Anthony Ralston finishes the season with 13 goal involvements in 25 starts. Only one other fullback at Celtic has matched his 9 league assists in the last decade – Izaguirre in 2013/14 People thought he was done & dusted (1 league start in 2 seasons). Raldo had other ideas”.
TIF Thoughts on Ralston’s season…
The Scottish right-back has enjoyed a huge season under his new manager, claiming five goals and nine assists in all competitions and cementing himself in the side amid Josip Juranovic’s injury issues.
He has proved himself on both sides of the ball, with his attacking and defensive numbers shining throughout the season. Defensively he has racked up 1.4 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, two clearances, and 0.4 blocks per game while on the other side of the ball he has averaged one shot, 1.3 key passes, one dribble, and 3.3 long balls per game with 0.7 crosses and is fouled 0.9 times per game.
While Ralston has been good this season they will need him to continue this form and even improve on it next year as they look to retain the title and make a wave in the Champions League under Postecoglou.
Will Ralston continue to start next season?Yes
No
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