Toure, Duffy, Diego and Leo

I’ve not seen enough of Kolo Toure or Shane Duffy to have a view on their appropriateness for Celtic but I’m very pleased that despite the headcount of central defenders, Brendan Rodgers appears to be aware that he’s only got one he can rely on. We cannot afford to have another season of set-piece trauma in Europe.

Aston Villa’s Scott Sinclair has the makings of a more profound signing for Brendan, especially if he arrives for anything close to Villa’s asking price. Ronny Deila foundered in a sea of wide midfielders who were unable to command a starting place for any duration. We are the club where wide players come to damage their career prospects. Most of those who have ‘walked through Parkhead gates’ in this time had done so on a sale-or-return basis; at circa £6m Scott Sinclair would need to be right.

A friend once asked why the Argentinians adore Diego Maradona but appear reluctant to appreciate Lionel Messi. Diego single-handedly delivered the World Cup in 1986 and retired from international football having given everything to his country as a 33-year-old. Leo bowed out with a couple of runners-up medals two days after his 29th birthday. He could easily compete in another two World Cups, if he had the appetite.

That’s not to judge Leo; maybe he identifies with the people he chose, not with a nation. Many of us do.