Joe Hart will be 37 when his current Celtic contract runs out which, in this day and age, is still relatively young for a keeper.
Since being snared by Parkhead gaffer Ange Postecoglou, the former England stopper has reignited his career. But he has also reinvented himself in Glasgow. Discarded by Manchester City in 2018, there was consensus that Hart wasn’t good enough to play out from the back in Pep Guardiola’s preferred style.
But if you’ve watched Celtic recently, you’ll know that he’s now pivotal to how Postecoglou wants the game to be played. Hart has been more like a sweeper in the first few games of the new campaign. At times he almost lines up in a back three beside two centre-backs when the Hoops are on the attack. His manager is delighted with Hart’s contribution. Postecoglou doesn’t expect him to pass the ball as well as Callum McGregor or Jota.
But he’s convinced if Hart continues to play the way he has done since signing last summer, he can perform for many more years yet – which might mean an extended stay at Celtic. Ahead of today’s Premiership trip to Kilmarnock, Postecoglou said: “I wouldn’t have signed Joe if I didn’t think he could play the role I want.
“Ultimately, his number one job is to keep the ball out of the net. Beyond that, we want to be a team that plays out from the back. I don’t want my goalkeeper to be the playmaker. But if we are doing our job correctly, setting up in the right way, the passes that he has to make should be the simplest ones any keeper has to make.
“It’s more about embracing the role and the attitude the individual has, more than the skill set. There isn’t a goalkeeper on the planet who can’t pass the ball five yards. The funny thing is, most of them are asked to ping balls 55 yards on a dime. I knew Joe was an outstanding goalkeeper who’s had an outstanding career and had many outstanding years in front of him. It was more about Joe the person. Did he want to embrace a new challenge?
“And he’s been brilliant. Every day he wants to learn and embrace what we are doing. “He has every right to question everything I do because he’s worked with some of the best managers in the world.
“He’s never done that but, instead, he’s tried to understand the direction I want to take us in and bought into our football. That’s great for me because he’s an influential figure in the dressing-room now.”
Another big character at Lennoxtown is James Forrest, who is now one of the most decorated players in the club’s history. The arrivals of Jota, Liel Abada and Daizen Maeda mean the Scotland winger has as big a fight as he’s ever had at Celtic to get in the starting line-up.
He was an unused sub in the win over Ross County in Dingwall last week. But don’t dare suggest to Postecoglou that Forrest has become a peripheral figure. After handing him a new deal last season, the Aussie coach is adamant the 31-year-old still has a huge role to play. He said: “Do I have to man-manage James? Not at all. He has been at this club for a long time.
“But if you asked him if he’s ever felt he was guaranteed a spot in this team, or that this club didn’t have more than two great wingers, I’d be very surprised. I don’t think anything has changed for James. Yeah, it’s a challenge at the moment getting some game time.
“But the reason we kept him on last year and re-signed him is because I still think there’s value in him. He’s an experienced guy and still has the skill set and temperament to perform at the highest level. He’s training well. James is working as hard as he can to make sure that when his opportunity comes along, which inevitably it will, he will be ready for it.
“He could probably explain it better than I do – that when you’re at a club like this, that’s the nature of it. Celtic need to be successful. You are always going to have good players competing in your position.”
With 17 days left of the transfer window, there is still time for Postecoglou to strengthen his squad ahead of a title defence and crack at the Champions League. There are also some like striker Albian Ajeti and Christopher Jullien who could be moved on with their game time likely to be limited.
Postecoglou says he won’t force anyone out. Instead, he says it’s up to them if they want to go and play football.
He said: “There’s one or two areas that I would like to strengthen but it has to be the right sort of players. We are looking at options. This transfer window is going to be pretty hectic in the last couple of weeks. There could be some opportunities there for us.
“In terms of outgoings, there are players who aren’t getting a lot of chances. I’m not one to try and convince people to stay or go. But the reality is some will get less opportunities. If that’s not sufficient for them, they can explore other options.”
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