Liam Scales says he'd love to finish his career at Celtic

Signed by Celtic at the beginning of Ange Postecoglou's tenure, the Irish centre-back was used sparingly in the first half of the 2021/22 campaign, before failing to feature in a single matchday squad in the league from February onwards.

A season-long loan spell at Aberdeen followed for the entirety of the 2022/23 trail, with many, including the player himself, tempering expectations regarding his potential involvement under new boss Brendan Rodgers the following year.

Fast forward to August 26, and Scales was thrust into the manager's starting 11 against St Johnstone at Celtic Park.

With the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Stephen Welsh sidelined through injury, the defender, then having just turned 25, lined up alongside Gustaf Lagerbielke in the heart of Celtic's defence. The pairing kept a clean sheet on the day, but a 0-0 draw at home so early in the season was hardly considered a triumph.

The following week, on the other hand, Scales put in a monolithic shift at Ibrox, when Celtic overcame city rivals Rangers 1-0 in front of a full house of home supporters.

Given the crowd deficit, the win was considered against the odds – an idiom that befits the humble Scales today, having now signed a four-year contract extension at Paradise.

"It’s brilliant," he said. "It’s what I wanted. It’s a good move for everyone involved. I’m just delighted I can look into the future and see myself here because it’s where I wanted to be.

"At the time I was coming back off a loan and thinking I really enjoyed that loan spell because I was playing regularly. I was thinking that’s what I needed to do – play regularly and prove myself and climb the ladder.

"Obviously the ideal situation is what’s happened and I’ve ended up playing regularly here. I was thinking I’d maybe have to go elsewhere for regular football. It’s worked out as well as it could have for me and I’m delighted.

"I'm happy to have it done and now I can focus on the games coming up."

Scales, Hatate and Carter-Vickers at Ibrox earlier this season (Image: SNS)
The games coming up will, of course, determine the success of Celtic's season. Three points ahead at the top of the Premiership and in the throes of a seven-game unbeaten run – comprising six wins and last month's thrilling 3-3 draw at Ibrox – the next hurdle for Brendan Rodgers' men is Steven Naismith's Hearts at home on Saturday.

Having lost 2-0 at Tynecastle the last time the sides met in March, and having suffered the same result at Celtic Park in December, Scales and his colleagues are determined to extend their current vein of form beyond the weekend.

Thinking personally, Scales is pleased with his progress so far this year, but qualifies any confidence with the promise that there is more to come.

"I think it's gone well for me," he said. "At the start of the season I didn't really picture myself in this position. I could have been better, certain performances, certain things, I feel like I could have done better over the year, but as a whole it's been successful for me.

"I definitely think there's room to improve. It's been massive for me, and it's the first year I've played at this intensity and this regularly. Playing regularly at this intensity and this level has improved me hugely as a player.

"Personally, I feel like I can do more. I want to continue doing as many things right as I can [in order] to move in that direction."

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Looking ahead, Scales recites the familiar one-game-at-a-time mantra of modern football. But with another huge home derby on the horizon next week, not to mention the wider title race and a Scottish Cup final against Rangers all in the space of a few weeks, the pressure Scales and his peers are under from hereon is huge.

Still, there's a calmness that Brendan Rodgers conducts his business with, both on and off the pitch, says Scales, with the 25-year-old admiring the confidence the manager has been able to instil in the group.

Through this, players like Scales epitomise how embracing the message and systems hands-on managers like Rodgers desire to implement can lead success – individually and, depending on how the remaining stretch of games unfolds for Celtic, collectively – so much so, Liam Scales says he'd love to finish his career at Celtic.

Scales added: "I feel when a manager is clear with his message it’s easier for the player to come in and do well because they know what they have to do to play to his system.

"That helped me a lot – knowing exactly my job and my role and that’s been a really key factor for me.

"All told, I’ll continue to try and improve and perform at the highest level so I can do as much as I can to stay in this team and hopefully be successful and move forwards. It's hard to know where the ceiling for that is at this point, but hopefully that isn't any time soon.

"The biggest thing I've learned about myself is that I'm capable. You don't really know until you're thrown in, and put into a situation where it's make or break. Knowing that I'm able to perform at this level is a good thing

"I’d love to play here for the rest of my career if that’s possible, but it’s taking it game by game and trying to improve as I go along."