The curious case of Liel Abada, Celtic's UEFA 'breakout star'

The recognition for Celtic players just keeps on coming.

Israeli winger Liel Abada is the latest to be told that he is on the verge of bigger and better things.

The 21-year-old has attracted the attention of European football's governing body no less after he was named on a prestigious 40-man list by UEFA of youngsters who are expected to take "European football by storm" in 2023.

In the current edition, Abada is named alongside breakout stars such as Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos, who recently took the World Cup by storm as well as English Premier League youngsters David Datro Fofana (Chelsea) and Anthony Gordon (Everton).

The likes of Erling Haaland, Jamal Musiala, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham and Mykhailo Mudryk have all featured in previous years so the Israeli is certainly in a very exalted company and it is quite the accolade and compliment to his ability.

UEFA describe the Celtic wide man as "An incisive passer and confident finisher, the Israeli attacking midfielder won the 2021-22 Scottish PFA young player of the year award in his first season following his switch from Maccabi Petah Tikva and is already in double figure for goals across club and country this term."

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The 21-year-old's rise to fame has been somewhat meteoric since he arrived in Glasgow last summer. After making the first team breakthrough at the club, he has gone on to become a fully-fledged member of the Israel international side. He is highly regarded and has been hailed as a future star for his country.

His debut campaign in the Scottish Premiership saw Abada hit dizzy heights. He bagged 15 goals and 11 assists in 54 games for the Hoops which are incredible numbers. The winger’s dazzling contributions saw him rightfully awarded the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year.

This campaign already his stats show no sign of abating as he has notched nine goals and collected four assists after 27 games on the domestic and European front as he aims to match last season’s numbers.

He has notched three goals against Rangers in seven Glasgow derbies to date. He bagged a hat-trick at Tannadice earlier this season in a 9-0 romp against the Tangerines. He has grabbed European goals against Midtjylland, Jablonec and Ferencvaros.

His form for club and country has already caught the eye of teams across Europe, including the English Premier League, with reports suggesting the likes of Southampton are keeping tabs on him.

The player is widely seen as a key component on Postecoglou's side. Based on the statistics alone Abada would walk into any other first team in Scotland and he would be an automatic pick.

Yet why is it then that Abada is not a guaranteed starter in the Celtic side? It's a curious one all right. Here's why.

After impressing greatly in a 2-1 win over Livingston at Parkhead last month, the question was put to the Aussie if Abada's performances warranted him asking for more game-time.

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This was the 57-year-old's reply: "No, that's not the way it works, mate. You don't put in requests for game time, it's all earned. He's done very well, the most important thing with Liel is that he is constantly improving and wants to improve - every day he is looking to be a better player.

"I thought he was great and really took the game to them. But even with him a couple of times in the first half I thought he should have been in areas where we know he is really dangerous and can get goals. It's just a re-affirmation for him on his role in the team and why it is important."

It's all down to the quality and strength-in-depth that Celtic have at their disposal in the wide positions.

Abada is fighting a daily battle alongside the likes of Portuguese sensation Jota, Japanese wide man Daizen Maeda, Montenegrin Sead Haksabanovic and the evergreen James Forrest to be an automatic pick for the two wide berths in the 4-3-3 system.

Again that's the esteemed company the Israeli is keeping. While Abada, for all intents and purposes, looks as if he has the world at his feet and possesses an abundance of talent, the manager is quite right to flag up the flaws in his game in order to keep him grounded. We can make allowances for the impetuosity of youth sometimes.

However, that daily jousting at training as they all compete for the automatic starting berth in the wide role will benefit each and every one of the wingers as they spur each other on such is the football environment that Postecoglou has created at the club. That is a great thing for Celtic. Healthy competition for places will drive the club on and help the Hoops progress as the manager strives to take the team where he wants them to be especially on the European stage.

Abada knows he has to bring his A-game to training every day if he is going to cement his place in the starting XI. If the Israeli continues to make serious career strides with the Hoops and goes on to fulfil his early promise and potential then it will be a definite win-win for Celtic and Postecoglou.

This piece is an extract from the latest Celtic Digest newsletter, which is emailed out every weekday evening with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from The Celtic Way team.

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