Forgotten Celtic man could soon be playing alongside Messi as calls emerge amid Rodgers headache

There are calls for Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni to call up Celtic left-back Alexandro Bernabei to the senior squad for the first time, according to the Daily Mail.

The 24-year-old moved to the Scottish Premiership to join the Hoops from Lanus for £3.75 million when Ange Postecoglou was the manager in June 2022, making 19 appearances at the end of his first campaign in the Scottish Premiership.

However, Bernabei was restricted to just nine games last term when Brendan Rodgers returned as Celtic manager, and he was shipped to Brazilian Serie A club Internacional at the beginning of 2024 for a loan spell.

Not many people would have expected the Argentine to have a chance of playing for Celtic again, but his performances have been impressive and he could solve a major headache for Rodgers.

Greg Taylor is out of contract at the end of the season, and there has been no sign of a breakthrough in talks, while Barcelona could look to take Alex Valle back after his loan spell following some eye-catching performances.

It leaves the Hoops boss with a headache at left-back, but Bernabei could be a solution, with Rodgers likely to give him a second chance to impress before making a decision on his future when his loan deal in Brazil expires in January.

The left-back produced a man-of-the-match display as Internacional ran out 2-0 winners against Fluminense last weekend, and he now has three goals and four assists in 19 appearances for them.

The forgotten Celtic man scored a screamer in the 3-1 win over Atletico Mineiro in October, with the long-range effort leaving mouths wide open.

His lightning-quick pace from his own final third helped him break from his half to become the furthest player forward for Internacional, and he fired the ball into the bottom corner of the net with a first-time finish after receiving the ball on the edge of the opposition box.

Bernabei has been the best left-back in the Brazilian top flight this year, and he could soon be playing alongside Lionel Messi if Scaloni heeds the growing call to hand him a much-deserved call-up to the senior national team.