Celtic have been warned that ageing Celta Vigo legend Iago Aspas is still a livewire who cannot be left alone in the box. The two sides meet on matchday three of the Europa League at Parkhead on Thursday night, with both teams still searching for their first point in the revamped group stage.
Aspas flopped in a stint at Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers but across two spells with boyhood club Celta has cemented his place as Os Celestes' all-time top goalscorer, scoring 223 goals in 580 appearances in total. The striker turns 40 next August and has mainly been used as a substitute in recent weeks.
Former teammate warns of Aspas threat
Former Scotland U21 international Jordan Holsgrove, who played alongside Aspas at Celta between 2020 and 2022, insists the veteran can still make things happen in the final third. Speaking to Record Sport, Estoril midfielder Holsgrove said: "For sure. He knows how to score goals and is an absolute legend of the club. The fans love him and the city loves him. He is such a good guy as well and is so humble and down to earth. But Celtic will have to watch out for him as he is so dangerous and creative in and around the box."
Holsgrove, son of ex-Hibs midfielder Paul, rose through the youth ranks at Reading before joining Spanish minnows Atletico Baleares on loan in 2019. He was signed by Celta on a permanent deal 12 months later and, after initially featuring for the B-team, made six first-team outings, scoring in a Copa del Rey clash against Ibiza in January 2021.
Holsgrove reflects on Celta and La Liga debut
Holsgrove admits settling into his new surroundings was challenging but wouldn't change the experience for anything. He said: "Luckily I got back to the UK as COVID hit as I got an injury that Reading were going to treat. But the second wave hit just as I joined Celta. That was a rough period as I didn't see any family or friends from England and Scotland for about six months as no one could travel to visit me and I couldn't go to see them."
"I had scored in the Copa del Rey a few days earlier on my debut and was expecting to be involved against Villarreal, but I didn't expect it at half time! Obviously the team were 4-0 down and the manager gave me the call that I was coming on. It was a shame that it was during that COVID time that there were no fans and family in the stadium to watch it. It was surreal as I kind of had to celebrate it on my own I guess. But the experience of making my debut in La Liga was unbelievable."
Praise for Ian Cathro and Scotland ambitions
After spells with Pacos de Ferreira and Olympiacos, Holsgrove joined current club Estoril on loan in 2023, signing on a permanent deal a year later. He spent two years playing under former Hearts boss Ian Cathro and is delighted to see his old boss now flying in Ligue 2 with St-Etienne. "I'm buzzing for him and sent him a message a couple of weeks ago just to say how much I enjoyed working with him," he revealed.
"They have got off to such a good start and it's great for him. His Portuguese is flawless. I didn't know much about him before he came to Estoril and saw him speaking in Portuguese in his first interview. It was only afterwards that someone told me he was Scottish! He is a really good manager who deals with the players well. His tactics are top-notch too. He'll be learning French now too, which is something that the players and the fans will really appreciate. I really do believe that he can go onto manage some even bigger clubs for sure."
Holsgrove was capped by his country up to U21 level and is hopeful that he can catch the eye of Sebastien Pocognoli. He added: "I'd love it and that is what I am building towards. I suppose I kind of feel a bit under the radar here as I feel I have had many good performances over the last couple of years. I really enjoyed my time in the U21s under Scot Gemmill and played with quite a few of the players who have made the jump to the senior team. I just need to keep my head down, work hard and hopefully the opportunity will come one day."
