Celtic winger Liel Abada was a notable absentee from the Hoops’ 2-0 Scottish Cup win over St. Mirren on Sunday. His body language and recent actions have raised many questions from supporters, and manager Brendan Rodgers has served to clear up the situation.
Indeed, the gaffer spoke out about Abada’s exclusion from the recent Cup win over the Buddies, and it seems the fears of fans have been realised: “He wasn’t in a right frame of mind”, he said (Glasgow Times).
“I’ve spoke a lot to Liel and it has been a challenging time for him. I just felt when he came into the game the other night, it just wasn’t him.
“So we gave him this chance to have a few days and clear his mind. I’ll have a chat with him again next week, see where he’s at.”
Many have speculated that due to the Israel/Palestine conflict and the Celtic fans’ support for the cause of the latter, Abada’s mind has drifted elsewhere and he isn’t fully focused on his football and playing for the club.
This is completely understandable, and one can’t help but feel it is the beginning of the end of his time at the champions. He has been a great servant to the Hoops, winning five trophies and making over 110 appearances in which he has contributed to over 50 goals.
He does have three years remaining on his deal in Glasgow come the summer, and The Bhoys could gain somewhat of a financial boost from the sale of the 22-year-old, something that does look likely unless he has a drastic change of heart.
