Celtic coach Alan Thompson couldn’t contain his delight with Emilio Izaguirre after watching the Honduran play a leading role in Celtic’s 2-1 win over Inverness Caley Thistle.
The full-back has been one of Neil Lennon’s best signings after joining Celtic for £600,000 in August.
‘How will he play up at Inverness in the middle of winter?’ was one of the first questions posed by the critics following Izaguirre’s impressive start to the season.
The 24-year-old covered every blade of grass along the left side at the Tulloch Stadium last night with Thompson happy to stand back in admiration.
“He’s special, really special,” the Celtic coach admitted. “I felt sorry for the lad playing right-back for them, especially in the first half.
“He wasn’t getting much help, Emilio can catch pigeons, he’s a terrific player, a smashing kid. He’s a bubbly character around the place, he’s always got a smile on his face and we’re just delighted that we have him.”
Celtic’s win in Inverness was achieved without the suspended duo of Mark Wilson and Scott Brown who shared the glory in the last round of the Scottish Cup.
Both players come back into contention for Sunday’s Co-Operative Cup Final with Rangers with serious competition for places throughout the Celtic side.
Lennon will make the final decision on who starts the match with Thompson delighted by the competition for places amongst the hoops squad.
“It’s a difficult team to break into at the minute,” the former Newcastle coach admitted. “That keeps them on their toes and doing everything right during the week.
“When it comes to match times they are at the peak of their fitness and sharpness. It will be a tough decision for Sunday.”
Bitter Butcher slams Izaguirre.
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