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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Steven Mair

Martin Boyle gets Celtic thumbs up from Alan Stubbs as Hibs talisman 'scares' defenders and is ready made for Angeball

Former Hibs boss Alan Stubbs reckons Martin Boyle is a perfect fit for Celtic if the Parkhead club make a move for him.

And he believes the Easter Road speed demon fits Ange Postecoglou's philosophy perfectly.

Boyle has seven league goals so far to go with three assists and he's long been linked with a Glasgow switch.

Hibs have managed to keep hold of him for now, tying Boyle down to a new deal that runs until summer 2024.

But Stubbs, who signed him from Dundee, thinks he could handle the step up to a big club.

Speaking to the Herald, Stubbs said: "First of all, I wouldn't want to see Hibs lose him, but if he is going to go then I think Celtic would be a good fit for him.

"If you consider the way that Ange wants to play, he wants to play on the front foot and Martin does that really well in terms of closing the opposition down high up the pitch.

"Then, obviously, from a counter-attacking point of view he fits into that because he's so quick.

"I think he could handle the expectation at Celtic. With every player, you have to adjust to the expectations of that fanbase. The ones who are the successes are the ones who manage to do that."

Boyle's main attribute is his electric pace which lit up Hampden against Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final.

A first half hat-trick ripped the Ibrox side to shreds but they're not the first team to have been dazzled by his speed.

(SNS Group)

And Stubbs says that "scares" defenders.

He added: "I haven't been surprised really (by how well he has done). If you ask any defender the one thing that they are scared of, then it is pace.

"I think the fact he had an abundance of it, at times he just needed to understand how quick he was, and then how he could mould that pace into his game.

"Sometimes, he would try to do everything too quick, and then he would either overrun the ball at the last minute or he was still carrying his pace into his crosses, and his success from that wasn't what it should have been.

"I think what you find with a lot of people who are very pacy, they then need to understand how to slow down, or how to speed up on impact. You'll see lots of quick wingers and they will knock it past a fullback, and for them that's the easy bit. The hard bit then is crossing the ball.

"That's what he had to understand. A lot of people with that much pace, they just open the gates and keep running.

"What Martin has done very well, not just in terms of his assists but his goals too, is add that composure to his game. Even in front of goal, he looks a lot more composed and assured, and the same in wide areas.

"When you look now at someone that is playing at the top of his game, you can see why Celtic are interested in him."

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