Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart will take off his gloves for the final time after the Hoops’ hotly anticipated Scottish Cup final against Rangers next month.
The ‘keeper came up trumps in the semi-final versus Aberdeen on Saturday, saving the decisive penalty in the shootout.
It was all the more emotional that such an act would be one of the veteran’s last of his career.
He is on limited time having confirmed his retirement at the end of February, and questions have naturally been raised over what he will do when he isn’t playing any more.
Speaking to CeltsAreHere and other Celtic fan media not long after his heroic antics at the weekend, the Englishman opened up on his long-term future.
He said: “I’ve not taken any coaching badges, that was quite a conscious decision.
“I want to help and I want to give back but I feel like there’s different ways that I can help.
“I’ll always be available to Celtic if they ever need to lean on me for anything I can help with – I’ve made the manager aware of that and I’ve made the club aware of that.
“In terms of physically coaching a specific team, that’s not something that I’m looking to do.”
When the 37-year-old’s time playing comes to an end in a few months, his influence in the Celtic dressing room will be heavily missed.
Scott Brown’s departure in 2021 raised concerns over leadership within the squad but there is an argument to suggest the hole Hart will leave in the team could be worse.
Brendan Rodgers does have a respectable few leaders in his ranks but the experience, desire, and passion Hart possesses is somewhat irreplaceable and arguably uncoachable.
