As the Celtic fans wait to hear of the club’s announcement of their first signing of the summer, Aberdeen’s new recruit, Gavin Molloy, has mentioned one of Celtic’s players at his Pittodrie unveiling.
Molloy signed for The Reds last weekend from League of Ireland side, Shelbourne, and immediately pinpointed Celtic defender, Liam Scales, as a player whose footsteps he wants to follow in.
A 2021 signing from Shamrock Rovers, Scales’ rise to the Celtic first-team hasn’t been easy. Used sparingly in his first season at the club by Ange Postecoglou, a loan spell at The Dons then followed as Scales’ Celtic future looked uncertain.
Returning to the club last summer, we all know how the Irish defender’s season panned out as he became integral to Brendan Rodgers’ league and Scottish Cup double-winning team.
Now Scales is a full international, Molloy has said that he hopes to emulate what Scales has done in order to take the next big step in his career.
Scales’ international inspiration
Liam Scales’ rise to international stardom was earned off the back of his displays for Celtic in the SPFL and the Champions League.
And Molloy believes that if he can copy his fellow countryman’s exploits at Aberdeen, he too could earn his first-ever cap for the Republic of Ireland.
Molloy said [Irish Daily Star print edition page 37], “Looking at players like Liam Scales, Jamie McGrath and Jonny Hayes, it’s a place where people flourish.
“It’s somewhere I can flourish too. If I can follow in their footsteps, I’ll be happy. Short-term, I want to get into the team. Long-term, I’d love to become an international.
“Growing up, all you want to do is pull on that green shirt and, coming to Aberdeen, hopefully, that’s a possibility now.”
It’s fair to say that Molloy has a bit more work ahead of him to earn that recognition than Scales had. Uncapped at any level, the new Aberdeen recruit has no international experience behind him, unlike the Celtic defender.
Scales was capped at U18 and U21 levels for the Republic of Ireland before being handed his big break by Stephen Kenny.
Now with five caps to his name, Scales looks like he could also be integral to future Ireland squads just as he had been for Celtic last season.