CELTIC FACE KEEPER FIGHT
CELTIC’S on-loan keeper Scott Bain could find himself in a tug-of-war at the end of the season.
Bain joined Celtic on an emergency loan in January following the knee injury to Craig Gordon and his heroics during the 3-2 win over Rangers on Sunday have raised the possibility of prolonging his stay.
Celtic have yet to decide on whether or not a longer deal will be offered to the player but Hibs manager Neil Lennon has confirmed that he will look to take the keeper back to Easter Road.
Bain was at Hibs on loan from Dundee before going to Celtic and Lennon wants to entice him back to Leith.
“It was good to see Scotty play so well [on Sunday],” Lennon said. “It was a great experience for him and he handled the occasion very well. For an Old Firm debut it was very good.
“He looked very assured and he had a bit of luck, if you want to call it that, at the end, and he recovered well from
the [Alfredo] Morelos rebound.
“There is an interest from us and we made sure Scotty realised that before he left.
“Even in the short time he was here we were very impressed with the way he was around the place and his attitude in training and the attributes he has.”
Meanwhile, Norway manager Lars Lagerback is looking forward to getting a closer look at Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer.
The 19-year-old defender has been called into the senior squad on the back of his performances for Celtic, where he has been in the first team since December.
And while Lagerback has been encouraged by what he has seen so far, he believes there is still some improvement to come.
Ajer has been converted from a central midfielder to a defender by Brendan Rodgers and while he has been lauded for his ability to carry the ball out of defence, it looks like a more conservative approach will be expected when he plays for his country. Norway have games against Australia and Albania and Ajer is anticipating game time.
“I do not know Kristoffer personally, so I’ll be a little careful – but everyone I know has been very positive about his personality,” said Lagerback. “He has a lot of self-esteem, confidence and is the type of character we need to be a successful team.
“That is the picture I am getting and I can’t wait to get to know him more.
“If he really wants to, he will become a very strong player for the national team. For someone of his age to be here is unusual in itself, so he needs to keep his feet on the ground and work hard – but he has all the possibilities ahead of him.
“I think he still plays a little too high risk, albeit I’m aware he has a coach who plays that way.”