Jonny Hayes has confirmed that he has decided to retire from professional football as the Irishman moves into coaching. The versatile wide player turns 37 next month and has decided that the end of his contract at Aberdeen, he will hang up his boots having made 352 appearances for the Red, scoring 38 times and racking up 90 assists.
Now, according to The Sun, Hayes will return to Celtic to take up a role within the Scottish Champions’ Youth Academy. There had been a suggestion that the former Ireland Internationalist will assist Stephen McManus in the B Team; although, the club are still looking to hire a new U18 manager with Charlie Mulgrew also in contention.
Hayes arrived at Celtic Park back in the summer of 2017. Although, after winning 8 out of a possible 8 trophies, he left Celtic with his head held high as a part of the club’s history. In 68 appearances for Celtic, Hayes scored twice and assisted on seven occasions. Playing at left-back and left wing, Hayes was a versatile player under Brendan and Neil Lennon; however, his highlight was probably his goal at Ibrox, which sealed Celtic’s 2-0 win over Rangers.
