Celtic goalkeeper Vasilias Barkas was handed a surprise return between the sticks for the Hoops in Sunday’s 3-1 win over St Johnstone.
With reported Covid and injury issues within the squad, Barkas, who has found himself well down the pecking order after a disappointing season last campaign, was brought in from the cold to start in Perth.
In the aftermath of the game, Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou delivered his verdict on how he felt the goalkeeper performed on his return to the side, as he made that point that ‘opportunities will come’ for those currently not in action.
 “That’s why these guys train hard every day. Their opportunities will come,” he said, as quoted by Football Scotland.
“They don’t know when it is going to come, at what point, but they have got to be ready for themselves as much as anything else.
“It was great for Barkas today to get an opportunity.
“I thought he did really well for us. He came out for a couple of crosses. He didn’t have an awful lot to do apart from that, but that is why they train hard every day, so they are ready for an opportunity.”
Although the Greek goalkeeper didn’t have much to do during the Boxing Day clash, the 26-year old put in a decent showing.
In what could have been a challenging task playing out from the back on a dreadful pitch at McDiarmid Park, there weren’t many occasions where he fluffed his lines. As Postecoglou also points out, Barkas did well when collecting crosses into the box.
Overall, Barkas will not have a future with the club, with Joe Hart stepping back in once fit again, and that is entirely fair, with the Greek internationalist having far from the best time in Glasgow.
It must be said, though, that he did a solid enough job in what could be his final appearance for the Hoops as we head into the January transfer window.
In his comments, Postecoglou ultimately makes an excellent point to those players who might find themselves in a similar situation.
