CELTIC legend Davie Hay has praised this season’s efforts from Stuart Armstrong – and reckons he could be a worthy successor to Scott Brown’s captaincy.
But the former player and manager, now a Club Ambassador, revealed he wasn’t certain the midfielder would even be at Parkhead just now!
Hay said: “When he first arrived at the club, you could see signs that there was definitely a player in there.
“Last season, though, more often than not, he was pushed out wide on the left and the position really didn’t suit his strengths.
“Subsequently, he looked a shadow of the player we are watching now and looked for all the world to be someone who would be surplus to requirements under Brendan Rodgers.
“His remarkable turnaround shows that perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss players who are going through a tough time on the park.
“Obviously, at Celtic the demands, the standards and the expectations are so high, but he has proven that when given time and when played in the correct position, that a career can be turned around.
“His fitness is incredible and his boundless energy is so impressive and these are key qualities for a player to play in the centre of the park.
“Since he has gone into that area he has exhibited those strengths so well and I think that Gary Mackay-Steven – another player who looks to be getting his mojo back of late – was right when he said that his good friend Armstrong may well be a suitable long-term replacement for Scott Brown.”
