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Jackie McNamara: I thought these two Celtic players would have done much better
By Harvey Byrne
Celtic great Jackie McNamara has told that he believed Nadir Ciftci and Gary Mackay-Steven would have done much better at the famous club than they have done.
The duo played under McNamara for two years as he was manager of Dundee United and the pair enjoyed great success at Tannadice.
However, since they both made the step up to Celtic in 2015 they have struggled to settle at a club with the expectations of the Glasgow giants.
Now, McNamara has hailed midfielder Stuart Armstrong, who also made the move from Dundee, but has told that he also thought Ciftci and Mackay-Steven would make a success of themselves at Celtic.
“This season he’s (Armstrong) really established himself as one of our best players. Scott Brown’s been a great help for him, allowing him to go forward as often as possible,” told McNamara, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
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“I thought Nadir Ciftci and Gary Mackay-Steven would also have done very well for Celtic but unfortunately for different reasons it hasn’t worked out as well for them.
“Stuart, though, I knew had the ability to do what he’s now producing so consistently. Very quickly after becoming Dundee United manager I realised he was a fantastic prospect.
“I thought he had everything to go a long way in the game”
Following the appointment of manager Brendan Rodgers last summer alongside the signing of winger Scott Sinclair, Mackay-Steven was limited to just 11 appearances for Celtic in all competitions last season.
Meanwhile, Ciftci saw even less game time with just four goalless appearances, as he was also sent out on loan to Polish club Pogon Szczecin in February until the end of the season, where he also faied to fin the back of the net in 10 encounters.
In other Celtic news, this Hoops defender has moved to England.
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