Taylor is the country’s most improved player

WHEN Greg Taylor arrived at Celtic in the summer of 2019, he had pretty much an impossible task on his hands. He was viewed as the man to replace Kieran Tierney. But, in reality, that was never going to happen. Tierney is one of the best left-backs in Europe on his day.

Taylor wasn’t at that level — but that’s not to say he wasn’t a good player in his own right. He got a bit of a raw deal. It felt like people were getting on his back and constantly comparing him to Tierney.

That was neither fair nor helpful. Taylor was a young kid who arrived at Celtic on the back of a couple of good seasons at Kilmarnock. But, now, it finally looks like he’s stepped out of Tierney’s shadow. Taylor has been one of the players of the season. On current form, I actually think he’s the most improved player in Scotland over the past 12 months or so. He marked his 100th appearance for Celtic by scoring an absolute screamer at Livingston yesterday. That followed on from him scoring the winner against Hearts at Tynecastle. He’s absolutely on fire at the moment. It’s not just the goals and assists. It’s his all-round game which has improved massively under Ange Postecoglou. He’s got so much more end-product to his game. He’s not scared to get forward and try to beat his man now.

That comes down to confidence more than anything. Taylor finally looks like he belongs at Celtic and like he believes he’s good enough to be there. It’s been brilliant to see his development over the past year or so. But, especially this season, he has taken his game to a whole new level.

It just shows you should never write a player off. Especially a young kid, like Taylor was when arrived from Killie. They need time to develop and adjust to their new surroundings. Taylor is a perfect example of how patience can pay off with a player.