After a lot of speculation, Celtic defender Liam Scales completed a season long loan deal to Aberdeen. The player has been a left-back in his time at Celtic Park, but Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin has indicated that Scales will play as a centre-back in his one year at Pittodrie. Intriguingly, the Scales deal does not contain an option to buy, and as it stands, Scales will return to Celtic in 2023, and it will be interesting to see just how the former Shamrock Rovers talent performs whilst on loan.

The 23-year-old could still have a career at Celtic if he performs well in his loan deal. It would be a real bonus for the Hoops if Scales is a stand-out for Aberdeen over the next 12 months, as it would mean that the Bhoys have another player in the squad that is capable of playing for the first-team on a regular basis. As it stands, Scales won’t be getting regular first-team football at Celtic, as he is behind Greg Taylor in the left-back position, and the Hoops look close to signing Alexandro Bernabei to add more depth to the left-back role.

That is why a move to centre-back could make sense for Scales. By the time he returns to Celtic in a year, there is a real chance that Christopher Jullien will have left the Bhoys, and there will be three centre-backs at the club in Carl Starfelt, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Stephen Welsh. If Scales can do well in his time at Aberdeen, and become a Premiership regular over the next 12 months, then he could find himself in contention for a place in the Celtic side when he returns to the club. As is probably well-known by now, both Ryan Christie and Kristoffer Ajer established themselves in the Celtic side after going on loan to Aberdeen and Kilmarnock respectively.