Misfiring Celtic star isn’t giving the bare minimum as he’s told to take a leaf out of teammate’s book
Hoops icon is looking for more from winger
Former Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew doesn’t think Haissem Hassan is doing enough in terms of his work off the ball and his ‘end product’.
As displayed at the World Cup, the Egyptian winger is a strong, pacy runner with the ball at his feet, however at Celtic it’s been noted that he doesn’t like putting in the hard yards the other way. Mulgrew reckons the 24-year old could get away with his low work rate if he better his attacking output - but with no goals and two assists in 17 appearances, he’s currently falling short of the mark.
Hassan’s inconsistent form has been summed up by his spells in and out of the starting XI. The winger had the right flank held down at one stage but hasn’t started in four of Celtic’s last five fixtures. As fellow wide man Yang Hyun-jun - who completes a lot more work off the ball - returns from injury, manager Martin O’Neill now has more competition for places in this position.
Hassan should take a leaf out of Yang’s book - Mulgrew
Mulgrew thinks that Hassan needs to up his work rate levels to mirror that of his teammate’s, if he’s to change his fortunes in the East End of Glasgow. He told Go Radio, said: “You’ve got to have an end product as a winger. And if you’ve not got that regularly, you need to at least work hard.
“I think that’s where the manager likes Yang, because he puts a shift in, he works back the park. Hassan, sometimes, can switch off when Celtic don’t have the ball. If you’re going to be that kind of player, you need to be really clinical with your finishing, your crossing or your assists, because you can’t carry players.”
Is Hassan losing his place in the team?
Despite impressing for the Pharaohs at the 2026 World Cup, Hassan’s goal drought extends to his time at Real Oveido, where Celtic signed him from in the summer. For club and country, the winger hasn’t found the target in over 70 appearances.
With fan favourite winger Jota having also returned from injury, strikers Callum Osmand and Camilo Duran often deployed on the flanks, as well as fellow wide men James Forrest and Sebastian Tounekti chipping in for minutes, Hassan’s place in the side is now under severe threat.
In Celtic’s most recent outing - a 1-0 home victory over Kilmarnock - the Egyptian wasn’t even names on the bench. When asked why this was, the manager responded: “We’re trying to do, as much as possible, we’re trying to do a bit of manoeuvring at this minute. I just think it’ll be great for places. If there’s proper competition for places, it can only make us better.”
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