Liam Scales viewed the opportunity to establish himself at Celtic as a free hit, and didn't see himself being involved as far down the line as he has.
The Irishman joined the Parkhead club from Shamrock Rovers in 2021. He made just 13 appearances in his first year under Ange Postecoglou, before being sent out on loan to Aberdeen in his second.
Scales then returned from the northeast as Brendan Rodgers took charge of Celtic. It was then that, amid several injuries and unavailabilities, he was thrown in at the deep end. The 26-year-old hasn't looked back since.
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"I probably wasn’t ready to come straight in and play when I first moved over here, it took me time," he told The Herald Ireland.
"I probably needed the loan spell at Aberdeen to bridge the gap and give me experience of Scottish football, that was brilliant.
"Coming back to Celtic then, I got a little bit of luck, there were a few injuries. I probably didn’t see myself in the picture as much as I actually ended up being in it.
"Once I got the chance, it was a free hit nearly. I got the chance to play and start in my preferred position. I saw it as a free hit, in that ‘if I don’t play well, nothing is going to change because I was probably leaving [on loan] anyway, but if I do well, I have a chance to stake my claim’. I have enjoyed every bit of it."
Scales made 39 appearances for Celtic last season.
Despite the £6 million arrival of Auston Trusty, the defender remained in Rodgers' first-choice starting XI come the end of the campaign.
