Celtic winger Liel Abada is ‘not happy’ with his current role at Parkhead, that’s the view of pundit Alan Hutton.
What’s the latest on Abada’s Celtic future?
Abada is already closing in on 100 first-team appearances in Glasgow after making the move to Scotland back in 2021, however, he appears to have fallen out of favour under Ange Postecoglou this season. The 21-year-old has started just ten Scottish Premiership games and has been brought on from the bench in the league on 19 occasions.
That has led to speculation of a potential move away, with reports earlier to month suggesting that Southampton are readying a £10m offer for Abada. He has failed to agree on a new deal with the Hoops, with Celtic chiefs prepared to listen to offers as a result.
Things have gone from bad to worse for Abada, suffering an injury during the international break and is facing weeks on the sidelines, according to Israel manager Alon Hazan.
Hutton, who contributes to Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding Abada, believing he is ‘not happy’ about being on the bench. The pundit also feels that Postecoglou would still want to keep hold of the forward, who he described as a ‘really good player’.
“He is obviously not happy that he is not starting week in, week out. He is obviously a really good player. The problem with Celtic at this moment in time is that they have got a lot of options and he has not quite been in the starting lineup as much as he would like.
“There has been a lot of talk about him. I do not think Ange would want to let him go, he has still played minutes. It does not help when you go away on international duty and come back injured when you are just desperate to play football.
“He is a young guy, he has got a lot to give and Ange obviously trusts him. It is just about forcing his way into the team but it is always going to be difficult at a big club.”
Will Celtic sell Abada?
Abada hasn’t exactly been a key man for Postecoglou in recent months, however, he has made a total of 41 appearances in all competitions this season, contributing to 19 goals.
The Hoops also have a plethora of wide options to choose from in Jota, Daizen Maeda, Sead Haksabanovic and James Forrest, and they could look to add another right-sided forward if they part ways with Abada.
The club may have a decision to make if an offer comes in for his services this summer, and it seems as if Celtic may be tempted to cash in after failing to strike new terms over a new deal with Abada. You’d expect they’ll be in line to make a healthy profit after spending £3.6m two years ago should they accept any offer, so it could be one to keep an eye on over the coming months.
