Celtic might have won out against Real Betis last night but former club hero Pat Bonner was left questioning if summer signing, Liel Abada, has lost a bit of hunger for the job.
Abada was signed in the summer by Ange Postecoglou and has proved to be a smart buy. So far this season, he’s struck seven times, adding another eight assists along the way as well. Indeed, he even grabbed an assist last night, setting up Stephen Welsh’s opener.
However, watching the game for the BBC, former Celtic star Bonner was left questioning Abada and half-time as he wondered if the youngster had lost a bit of spark.
“Liel Abada seems to have lost that early season spark that he had. He used to just open his body up and run at defenders. He’s turning back and passing a lot now, you start to wonder if he’s low on confidence,” Bonner commented on BBC Live.
Abada was a summer arrival at Celtic. He penned a long-term contract with the Bhoys, after the club agreed to pay around £3.4m for him from Maccabi Petah Tikva.
TBR’s View: Young Players Often Dip, Celtic Might See This With Abada
To be fair to Liel Abada, for a 20-year-old coming over from Israel to a huge club like Celtic, he has made a big impact already in Scotland. His goals and assists, as well as his general play, have shown him to be a good signing by Ange.
However, all young players will have spells where it’s not quite going for them. And Abada will be no different. It’s easy to forget just how young he is, with some players barely even playing at 20.
Credit to Abada last night, though. He stuck at it and in the end, helped Celtic see off tricky opposition. Albeit, it was in vain as the Bhoys exited Europe.