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Chris Sutton gives his Hampden call on Turnbull and Soro

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Chris Sutton would have Ismaila Soro and David Turnbull in his Celtic side for Sunday’s Scottish Cup Final against Hearts at Hampden.

The midfield duo came into the Celtic side and impressed in the wins over Lille and Kilmarnock but after the victory over the Ayrshire side Neil Lennon made reference to bringing back the hardcore.

Scott Brown, Tom Rogic and Ryan Christie all started the semi-final win over Aberdeen but if Sutton was in charge they’d be on the bench at Hampden this weekend.

Neil Lennon has a few dilemmas to resolve but after watching the win against Kilmarnock Sutton believes that his old team-mate has to go in again with the same side rather than let sentiment cloud his selection.

On the Daily Record Celtic Podcast:

22 min 30 seconds:

I don’t think that they are big talking points, I don’t at all. I don’t agree with Neil in his assessment about being loyal to the players that got him there. There is no room for sentiment at this moment in time for the Celtic team and for Neil as Celtic manager- it’s about winning.

It’s about building momentum so therefore you have to pick your strongest team. I’m a fan of Rogic, I’m a fan of Brown, no way am I suggesting that Scott Brown is finished, I still think that he has got a part to play. But what message does it send out when you go into a Cup Final and you’re not playing the players who deserve to be in the team on merit. Soro deserves to be in the team, on merit based on his last couple of performances and so does Turnbull and therefore Celtic will have a strong bench.

They will have players chomping at the bit, and this ultimately is what you want as Celtic manager. To have players like Christie, players like Rogic, like Brown who are absolutely chomping at the bit to get on and prove a point. And for there to be serious competition for places because if there had been competition for places this season. Competition based on how bad everybody had been but now there seems to be, Celtic have gone up a notch in the last couple of games but that can soon disappear.

Turnbull got his opportunity and has grabbed it, Soro got his opportunity and he’s grabbed it. You can’t drop them, that wouldn’t be fair on them , that would send the wrong message to the support at this moment in time.

SUTTON’S STARTING XI: Hazard; Ajer, Jullien, Duffy, Laxalt; Soro, McGregor; Frimpong, Turnbull, Elyounoussi; Edouard

The former Celtic striker did make a strong case for Christie playing but believes that Frimpong’s width on the right gives him the edge with Turnbull preferred for the ‘No 10’ role linking up with last season’s Cup winner- Odsonne Edouard.

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