‘He’s a shadow’: John Hartson now says ‘outstanding’ 22-year-old player might leave Celtic soon

Former Celtic striker, John Hartson, believes that Liel Abada might need to leave Celtic after the Israeli winger suffers from a drop in form.

Earlier today we told how Charlie Mulgrew gave Abada some advice on how to try and save his Celtic career.

But Hartson now believes that the time is coming for Abada to leave Celtic if he’s not going to feature in the first team anytime soon.

Hartson said [The Go Radio Football Show], “There’s no doubt about it, the lad looks devoid of confidence. He’s a shadow in terms of the player that he was when he first arrived.

“Him and Jota were outstanding together. For some reason, he has had injury problems and he’s not really been able to produce the form that he’s able to produce.

“But if he’s not going to feature, the best thing for him and the club, because he will want to play regular football and the club can’t carry someone who has been one of their big players and is not putting in the same performances.”

The thought of Abada leaving Celtic would have enraged the supporters not too long ago. For two seasons the 22-year-old was pivotal in helping Ange Postecoglou turn the club from a shambolic state into record-breaking Treble winners.

His goals and assists helped to put Rangers to the sword on many occasions and, of course, Abada scored in the Scottish Cup Final win over Inverness that helped Postecoglou deliver the Hoops’ eighth domestic treble in their history.

The Abada story is one that is likely to run for the rest of the season. And it will either end with the player returning to the form that made him feared by our rivals or with the youngster leaving the club to make a fresh start.

Many Celtic fans will be hoping that it is the former as Abada has proven that when he’s needed, he can step up to the plate and deliver on the pitch.

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