Liam Scales: Irish media hail Celtic defender after Republic of Ireland display

Liam Scales continued his fine form for Celtic and the Republic of Ireland as his nation drew 1-1 with Canada on Saturday.

The defender came off the bench at the break with Heimir Hallgrimsson's side 1-0 down via Jake O'Brien's own-goal.

Ireland looked far more rigid with the 27-year-old at left-wing back, however, and drew level when Chiedozie Ogbene scored.

Scales has taken much criticism for his Celtic performances, but the stats suggest that the defender's superb form has continued.

With Martin O'Neill set to stay on at Parkhead next season, the Ireland international will almost certainly keep his place at the back.

Irish media praise Liam Scales

Scales has received huge praise for his performances for Ireland in recent months, despite the criticism he has received for Celtic.

The defender is ever-reliable and has been given the chance to demonstrate his technical quality in a wide position.

It is always Scales' defensive prowess which comes to the fore, however, with the Celtic man excellent in the one-versus-one.

He retained his place for the Hoops throughout the season, featuring for every single minute of their final five Scottish Premiership-winning matches.

And Scales has retained his importance for Ireland, too, demonstrating exactly why again on Saturday.

The former Aberdeen defender made three tackles and two recoveries off the bench, also winning three duels and attempting a cross into the box.

Irish outlet Balls gave the 27-year-old a six out of 10 rating and wrote: "Steadied the ship on the left hand side in the second half.

"Strong defensively and tidy in possession. You could see that he played a lot as a wing back in his League of Ireland day compared to [Corrie] Ndaba who isn’t used to that role."

Scales not going anywhere

Scales signed a new contract in April, tying him down at Celtic Park until at least 2030, with an option to extend that by an additional year.

The defender is a valued member of O'Neill's squad, no matter what the common consensus on him is.

And with that contract, the Ireland international is going nowhere for the time being.

The question O'Neill now faces is how to get the very best out of him, considering his performances on the international stage.