McAvennie: This is why Barkas has ‘crumbled’ at Celtic amid latest shattering development
Frank McAvennie has claimed Vasilis Barkas has crumbled under the “awful weight” of the Celtic shirt.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the Parkhead legend said the 26-year-old “could not hack the pressure” of playing for the Hoops even though there are no fans in stadiums.
Barkas was dropped from Greece’s international squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, having previously been their number one.
The Bhoys signed the Greek shot-stopper from AEK Athens in a £4.5million deal last summer, but he has struggled to settle in Glasgow.
He has made 20 appearances across all competitions this season but has started just twice this calendar year.
McAvennie believes Barkas has been omitted from Greece’s squad because he has lost all of his confidence.
“He has been dropped from the Greece squad because his confidence is shot,” he told Football Insider.
“It is very hard to handle the pressure at Celtic. The jersey can be an awful weight on some players shoulders. Some people just cannot hack the pressure.
“It sounds surprising because there are no fans in at the moment. But the size of the club, players can crumble and Barkas is one of them. Many a good player has failed to handle it.
“Barkas has just not done it this season. He couldn’t catch anything, he couldn’t even catch a cold. Every single shot has gone by him. He cannot be as bad as what he has shown but his confidence is clearly shot.
In other news, McAvennie ‘can’t believe’ Turnbull development as he slams two senior Celtic stars.