Opinion: 30-year-old's return may be significant ahead of key Celtic game

There was an interesting bit of news concerning Celtic utility man Nir Bitton that came out of Israel on Sunday.

Walla Sport reported that Israel and Celtic had come to an agreement which meant that the player could return from international duty early.

Bitton played in the game against Germany, but will not play against Romania on Tuesday as he will be back at Celtic Park.

That news is intriguing, especially when you consider that Celtic’s next league game is the huge Glasgow derby against Rangers on Sunday.

The fact that Bitton has returned from international duty early could be an indication that the player is going to be in the starting line-up for the Hoops at Ibrox.

Bitton’s return will give Ange Postecoglou more time to work on his formation and plans in trying ahead of the derby.

Even though Bitton hasn’t featured against Rangers yet this season – he was on the bench for the first game and suspended for the second – it would not be a shock if he was in the starting line-up for the game at Ibrox.

He is a very experienced player who has played in a lot of big games in his time at Celtic Park, and the upcoming derby against Rangers is one of the biggest in the league that Celtic have played in the last few seasons.

The 30-year-old has featured in some of Celtic’s tougher away games this season – at Tynecastle against Hearts, for example – and the trip to Ibrox is the toughest of the lot so it would not be a surprise to see him in the starting line-up.

That might mean a slight change in Celtic’s style to be less attacking in the middle of the park, but the Hoops will still have plenty of players available in the side who are capable of putting the ball in the back of the net at Ibrox.

Even if Bitton isn’t in the