Barkas will find feet at Parkhead, says Gordon

CRAIG GORDON last night stated that Vasilis Barkas needs time to settle at Celtic and adapt to the intense demands of the Glasgow club’s bid to complete 10- in- a- row.

Barkas was criticised by many supporters and media pundits for his display in the 2- 0 defeat to Premiership leaders Rangers at Parkhead on Saturday.

The Greek keeper was signed from AEK Athens for £ 5million this summer after the Scottish champions had failed to reach an agreement with Gordon over the terms of a new contract.

The Scotland internationalist, who has since returned to his former club Hearts, feels his successor has joined Celtic, who take on AC Milan in the Europa League tomorrow night, at a difficult time.

He reckons the 12- times capped 26- year- old has to be allowed to come to terms with the pressures of playing for Neil Lennon’s side in the momentous 2020/ 21 campaign.

“It must have be very hard for him coming into this country and into such a pressurised situation in this season of all seasons,” said Gordon.

“I definitely feel for him. I have always got sympathy for any goalie. He has had an awful lot to deal with in a very short space of time, he has been thrown in to this situation.

“Being goalkeeper at Celtic is a highly pressurised place to be, as anybody who has been in that position in the last however many years will tell you.

“The difficulty in being in that position at the moment, where every one error, if it costs a goal, if it costs a game, is pounced on, is magnified so much more this season.”

Gordon – speaking at the relaunch of the McDonald’s Fun Football programme at Oriam outside Edinburgh – feels the loss of six players to coronavirus and injury cost Celtic dearly at the weekend.

“That is probably going to happen to most teams over the course of a season,” he said. “But it was the last thing that anybody to do with Celtic would have wanted to be facing going into that game like that against their biggest rivals.”