BRENDAN RODGERS hailed a Man-of-the-Match performance by Reo Hatate in Celtic’s 3-1 triumph over Hibs in the carnival atmosphere of a sunbathed Parkhead yesterday.
However, the Hoops boss took time off praising the fans’ favourite to give a special mention to 17-year-old debut Bhoy Sean McArdle who took his first-team bow as an 85th-minute substitute for Arne Engels.
Hatate sparkled in the team’s engine room alongside skipper Callum McGregor and the £11million Belgian international and the Japanese ace secured the three points with an immaculately-drilled first-time drive just before the hour mark.
Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah had responded in the first-half after Martin Boyle had given the Edinburgh side the lead against the run of play.
JUST PARADISE…Reo Hatate celebrates another goal in front of the Celtic fans.
Hatate’s strike came after some eye-catching swift passing from Kuhn, McGregor and Engels and when the ball was delivered in front of him the playmaker didn’t hesitate in flashing No.3 beyond the stranded Jordan Smith.
Rodgers purred: “Reo was outstanding and his goal was of high quality.
“It was the three centre midfield players who were up there in the box, the one-touch play and the finish.
“Overall, though, he was very good in his pressing and he has that big quality to see a pass and make a finish.”
Turning his attention to the teenage debutant McArdle, Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV, added: “Sean’s been doing really well with the B Team.
“He’s tenacious and he’s only going to get better. He needs to keep the aggression in his game.
“Sean can run, he can pass the ball well and now he has to look at the examples of the Academy players who have come through the system in how to sustain that.
“But this gives him a bit of reward for all the really good work that he’s done and, hopefully, he can build on that.”
