Diego Laxalt proved today that Celtic need to keep him if favourite gets the manager’s job

We’re still not really anywhere closer to finding out who the next Celtic manager will be, but Chris Wilder has been leading the betting lists for a few days now.

It would take time to see if he was really cut out to manage such a big club, but you would expect that he would install his favoured 3-5-2 formation straight away.

It takes a certain type of defender to make that system work properly, and a conversation needs to be had about Diego Laxalt next season after his performance against the Rangers today.

He plays in exactly the same style regardless of the formation or the opposition, and it means he can either be the key to making the whole system work or he can be an utter liability.

READ MORE: Video: Elyounoussi scores a lovely diving header against Rangers after a sublime Edouard cross

He’s always going to roam forward, he’ll probably press too much and over pursue the ball when it’s lost and he’s not going to dominate in the air, so it means he’s a disaster when played in a basic back four without any cover.

Today worked in his favour as John Kennedy set the team up to ensure there was plenty of defensive cover for him when he bombed forward, and he was the main spark on that left flank as they continually caused problems and created chances.

All of this suggests that he could be an ideal signing for Chris Wilder if he gets the job, mainly because Laxalt has the energy and pace to cover the entire flank himself and he’ll provide the width and overlaps in that system.

A permanent move for Laxalt looked unlikely over the past few weeks as he’s not done much and Greg Taylor impressed, but he showed enough today to indicate it’s worth putting a call into Milan to see what it would cost.

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Still trying to figure out exactly why Vidar Riseth hammered the ball across his own goal line that night in Perth....

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