Joe Hart gives Celtic a Martin Dubravka transfer reality check as possible successor fails to earn approval

Former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart has slammed the performance of Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dubravka against Ukraine - in what could be a warning for his former club.

The Premiership and Scottish Cup winners are searching for a new No. 1 after Hart retired at the end of last season - with 35-year-old Dubravka among Brendan Rodgers’ leading candidates to fill the void left by the former England international turned pundit. But the Celtic boss may have been left with some concerns after the performance of the Newcastle United shot-stopper in the Euro 2024 defeat for Slovakia, with Roman Yaremchuk netting to secure a 2-1 win.

Hart was quick to point the finger of blame at the Slovak shot-stopper, as he abandoned the goalkeepers' union and revealed where Dubravka could have done better to help his country secure a vital point in the race for the knockout stage. Speaking on the goal to BBC, Hart said: "Dubravka’s got to wait to see what he does, whether he can come and claim it if the touch is big.

“Through the air, his thought process is ‘can I come, can I come?' No, he would have had to spear him at waist height.

“That’s a great touch, but Dubravka is going to be really disappointed with what happened next. Once the ball is brought down, it is 80-20 in his favour if he stands big or makes a long barrier, but he ends up doing nothing really and he actually looks quite worried that the ball could hit him. He’s going to be very disappointed.”