Home » Teams » Celtic FC » Celtic Could Effectively Replace Emilio Izaguirre With Either Of These Two Defenders

Celtic Could Effectively Replace Emilio Izaguirre With Either Of These Two Defenders

Two Ideal Replacements For Emilio Izaguirre Who Celtic Should Target

Defender Emilio Izaguirre has left Scottish champions Celtic and completed a big money move to Saudi Arabian side Al Fayha (Daily Record).

The 31-year old Honduras international brings an end to an extremely successful, trophy-laden seven year spell with the Hoops, leaving the club for a bigger pay day. He joined the club back in 2010, from Honduran club FC Motagua and went on to make 251 appearances, scoring 5 times in the process.

Izaguirre won six consecutive Scottish Premiership titles with the Parkhead outfit, starting from 2011 and has won two Scottish Cups and two League Cups as well. Last season, he was largely relegated to playing second-fiddle to rising star Kieran Tierney and as a result, he played only 17 games.

With Izaguirre gone, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will be in the market for a new left-back to add to his roster, and here we look at two possible options that he could consider to bring to the club.

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (Manchester United)

The 20-year old Manchester United man may well be headed for an exit from Old Trafford on a loan or on a permanent basis and Rodgers should look at the possibility of signing him in the summer.

Borthwick-Jackson has been monitored by Leeds United, while there is interest from Dutch giants AFC Ajax as well, indicating the potential and the talent of the player. The England youth international broke into the United first-team setup in the 2015/16 season under Louis van Gaal, making 14 senior appearances registering a single assist. He spent the first half of the previous season at Wolverhampton Wanderers and has been with the United 2nd team since January this year.

A good attacking full-back with solid passing and crossing abilities, Borthwick-Jackson has shown great promise in his fledgling career so far. At 20, he is still in his developmental years and playing first-team football under a coach like Brendan Rodgers will benefit him greatly and he will prove to be a good backup for Tierney.

Joe Bryan (Bristol City)

The 23-year old Bristol City left-back has been strongly linked with a move to the Celtic Park and if it materialises, he will be a great addition to the squad.

Bryan was one of the most consistent left-backs in the EFL Championship last season, despite the Robins not doing that well. He finished the 2016/17 campaign with 49 appearances in all competitions, scoring once and registering 5 assists in the process. Despite just being 23 years of age, Bryan has accumulated over 180 appearances for the club already and has gained immense experience.

The Scotsman will fit in seamlessly with Celtic’s expansive attacking style of play and given his abilities, he will push Kieran Tierney for a place in the line-up, thus improving the quality of the team. Also, if it so happens that Celtic decide to cash in on Tierney, they will have a readymade long-term replacement in the form of Bryan. So he is an ideal target.