A final observation on Celtic’s match at the weekend. The brutal truth is that Lawrence Shankland doesn’t have what it takes to compete as a top level player and that’s why he’s stuck at Hearts…
Lawrence Shankland is the current SPFL Player of the Year on the back of a decent season with Hearts last campaign. Such performances resulted in him being valued as a £5 million player, with ourselves and theRangers being credited with an interested in the Scotland international. Celtic’s interest was just paper talk, he’s never going to get into a Brendan Rodgers team is he?
A decent player but not good enough for a higher level
Don’t get me wrong Shankland is a decent player at the rest of Scottish Premiership level anyway, but there’s a reason he didn’t get more game time with Scotland at Euro2024 or make a big money move over the summer.
Celtic ‘interest’ was merely paper talk
I personally don’t rate him and was glad any interest from ourselves was just media speculation and nothing more. Yes he can score goals in our league, but he lacks the all round game to play for a club as big as ours or indeed at any other higher level. And he looks heavier this season than last and that’s only going to be more apparent the older he gets. He doesn’t seem to have the legs for a big pitch like Celtic Park although he certainly has a big mouth.
That kinda tells its own story
Shankland showed that on Saturday as he looked lost against a not firing on all cylinders Celtic team. He doesn’t have the physique or the energy to compete at the top level, that’s not an opinion that is merely a fact. He’s 29 years old and the biggest club he’s played for is Hearts, that kinda tells its own story.
Yes he might score the odd goal against Celtic or even his boyhood team theRangers, but so do a lot of players at SPFL level. It doesn’t mean they are top players, good players maybe but not top quality.
Hearts supporters seem to take offence
Hearts supporters seem to take offence when you state the truth about Shankland, but deep down they know themselves that Hearts is good as it’s ever going to get for him. They like to think of him as the player who beat £30m Celtic summer signing to the Player of the Year awards. Fair play to him for that, peak Shankland if you like, yet it never got him a big move.
Never going to wear the Hoops
Maybe Hearts expectations were just to high if any club did enquire, and Celtic certainly never. Maybe theRangers did but they weren’t able to or even willing to pay what Hearts were looking for? Who knows.
The only conclusion that the Celtic support can draw from watching the Hearts captain on Saturday is that he is never going to wear the Hoops, he’s just not good enough, or fit enough to play at the elite level.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
COMING SOON ON CELTIC STAR BOOKS…CELTIC IN THE THIRTIES, VOL 1&2 BY MATT CORR…
