Celtic‘s clash with Dundee at Parkhead in the SFA Cup on Saturday evening provided Martin O’Neill with an opportunity to provide several players with chances to impress.
Viljami Sinisalo got a rare start between the sticks, ahead of Kasper Schmeichel, and there was nothing he could have done to prevent Ethan Hamilton’s long-range screamer.
A player who did not take his opportunity with both hands, unfortunately, was central midfielder Paulo Bernardo, who started alongside Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate in the middle of the park.
The former Portugal U21 international, who was given a 4/10 player rating by GlasgowWorld, was substituted after just 45 minutes after an underwhelming first-half showing against Dundee.
Bernardo was the most advanced of the three midfielders and did not do enough to influence the match at the top end of the pitch to provide the Hoops with a spark, which caused O’Neill to replace him with Benjamin Nygren.
Why Celtic may sell Bernardo in the summer
Prior to the clash with Dundee, Football FanCast suggested that the manager could hit gold with Bernardo by giving him more chances to impress, based on his form in previous seasons for the Hoops.
However, that was contingent on the Portuguese midfielder taking his opportunities when they came. O’Neill did his part by selecting him from the start against Dundee. Bernardo did not do his part.
A poor performance in the SFA Cup only adds to the overall feeling around the 24-year-old dud, because he has had a dismal season in the Scottish Premiership as well.
|
25/26 Premiership |
Paulo Bernardo |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
7 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Key passes per game |
0.3 |
|
xA |
0.34 |
|
Assists |
0 |
Bernardo, in his defence, has not had too many opportunities to play, but he has not offered enough when he has been given a chance, which was also the case in the cup on Saturday.
Now, due to his lack of game time and form, Celtic may have to part ways with the Portuguese flop for good in the summer, unless he can turn things around and show the kind of quality that he had in the past, having produced five goals and six assists in his first two years at Parkhead, before the end of the season.
Bernardo, however, is not the only midfielder who should be sold by the Hoops in the summer, because a star who was once described as the best player in the country is now in the same boat.
The Celtic flop who must be sold alongside Bernardo
Whilst the former Benfica man may be sold because of a lack of game time, there is a Celtic player who plays regularly and should be cashed in on in the summer.
Chris Sutton described Reo Hatate as “the best player in Scotland” in 2023, thanks to his return of six goals and eight assists in the Premiership in the 2022/23 campaign.
Not long after that, the club rejected an offer of £10m for him in the summer transfer window in 2024, which would have made him one of their highest ever sales, and he produced 11 goals and six assists from midfield in the 2024/25 season.
Celtic’s most expensive sales of all time
Celtic have let some of their finest talents move for big money in the past.
Years on from that praise and big-money interest from elsewhere, though, the Japan international has not been good enough for the Scottish giants in the 2025/26 campaign.
Hatate, who offered very little against Dundee in or out of possession on Saturday, has been off the boil defensively throughout the season, and some supporters voiced their displeasure at his work off the ball at the weekend when he appeared to pull out of challenging for a loose ball.
The Japanese star has not been at his best on the ball this season, with one goal and two assists in 20 games in the Premiership, which has put his defensive work in the spotlight.
Without goals and assists to provide value to the team, Hatate’s lack of strength and awareness out of possession makes him a passenger in the Celtic midfield at times.
|
25/26 Premiership |
Reo Hatate |
League rank |
|---|---|---|
|
Aerial duel success rate |
39.89% |
224th |
|
Aerial duels won |
7 |
181st |
|
Ground duel success rate |
46.15% |
208th |
|
Ground duels won |
36 |
111th |
|
Tackles made |
15 |
126th |
|
Interceptions |
3 |
174th |
The 28-year-old lightweight has lost the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air in the league so far this season, which shows that opposition defenders and midfielders find it too easy to get the better of him in physical battles.
His Premiership ranks in a host of defensive metrics illustrate how little he offers to the team out of possession, which is an issue when he is not scoring or creating goals on a regular basis, as he was when Sutton once described him as the best player in the league.
On current form, it is hard to justify keeping him beyond the summer, with McGregor, Arne Engels, and Nygren possibly being the starters ahead of him in midfield, along with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming in to compete for a starting berth.
Therefore, the summer may be the right time to finally cash in on Hatate and Bernardo in an attempt to revamp the club’s midfield options ahead of next season.
Celtic submit offer to sign another bargain star after Oxlade-Chamberlain
The Bhoys have made their move.
