An influential Celtic player has been hailed by the media for his performances for his country on international duty, as his stock continues to rise at Parkhead.
Celtic ace suffers international defeat
The Hoops are in the middle of a two-week hiatus from domestic duties, with the latest international break of the season getting in the way of their Scottish Premiership march.
One player who started for his country was Liam Scales, with the 26-year-old named in the Republic of Ireland’s starting lineup away to Greece in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday evening after scoring against Finland in a 2-1 win days earlier.
Unfortunately for the centre-back, his country were on the wrong end of a 2-0 defeat to Greece, with the hosts scoring twice in the second half to secure a relatively routine victory.
For Scales, it was the rare taste of defeat, considering he has enjoyed a perfect start to the season in the league at Celtic, winning all seven matches in the competition and starting every game.
Media hail Scales' international performance for Ireland
Despite the disappointing result for Ireland, Celtic ace Scales still received plenty of plaudits for his performance, with various outlets praising his efforts on the night.
In his player ratings, Balls‘ Eoin Harrington described the defender as “a major reason Ireland went in level at the break to begin with”, adding that he was “generally reliable at finding a solid outball.” Meanwhile, The Irish Mirror said that Scales was “the best of Ireland’s defenders, with strong aerial and ground skills, and some important blocks”, and writing for the same publication, Michael Scully described the Irishman as “outstanding” for his country during the two games.
It’s great to see Scales receive so many positive reviews for his international performances, as his excellent start to the season continues.
As mentioned, the £5,000-a-week defender has been an ever-present for Celtic in the league in 2024/25 to date, completing 91.2% of his passes and also winning a mammoth average of six aerial duel wins per game. Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers lauded him and teammate Greg Taylor last month, saying:
“The British players, the Irish players, they might not be the stellar name. Everyone’s looking for something else. But these are the guys that stand out. They’ll be waiting for you, the Greg Taylors, the Liam Scales, these guys. They’re absolutely pivotal to what we’re doing. Liam gets a fantastic goal and was really strong. He played very, very well. I’m really pleased for him because he’s been a really consistent performer for us since he’s got on the team.”
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Scales is going to be a vital player for Celtic as the season goes on, proving to be a rock at the heart of his side’s defence, and the fact that he is also becoming an influential defender for the Republic of Ireland says huge things about the strides he is making in his career.
At 26, he appears to be coming right into his peak, so there is no reason why he won’t remain an integral figure for club and country for plenty of years to come.