It's a NIR Thing

Nir Bitton explains how he is always ready to fight for his place in the manager’s plans.

- Mark Henderson

NIR Bitton doesn’t like the limelight. He prefers to go about his business quietly and without fuss. When the View asks the 25-year-old about doing this interview, he does so with some reluctance, simply because he prefers to do his talking on the pitch than in the pages of newspapers or magazines. And the midfielder has certainly been doing that for Celtic in recent weeks.

Having featured sporadically in the closing months of 2016, usually from the bench, the midfielder has started every match for Brendan Rodgers’ side so far since the turn of the year, and his impressive performances have helped the champions maintain their fantastic form, which has seen them go 30 games without defeat in domestic competition.

Given the high standards being set in every department of the Hoops team, it took hard graft, fortitude and perseverance for Bitton to earn his spot back. Along with his reticence for the public eye, this reveals another compartment of his character: a steely determination.

And these were some of the subjects discussed by the Israeli internationalist after he sat down with the View at Lennoxtown to reflect on his 2017 Celtic renaissance.

Is it fair to say you are the type of person who prefers to do things quietly and do your talking on the park?

I don’t really like talking to papers or being in the media. Sometimes you need to do it but I like to talk on the pitch and be quiet and show everyone my qualities and hopefully I can do that. I am quiet, relaxed and calm, so you can describe me as a quiet guy. I’m not like Broony! I don’t like all the cameras and all the attention.

You have played every match since the start of 2017. How pleased have you been by the year so far?