johnreid 
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Celtic have decided to let Conor Hazard leave on loan, with the 23-year-old goalkeeper joining HJK Helsinki for a year.
The move seems like a good one for the player, as he has not featured for the Hoops this season, and is currently third choice goalkeeper at best at Celtic.
The loan is for the next year as the Finnish season will be completed by the end of 2022, when presumably Hazard will return to Celtic.
However, what could happen instead is that either Hazard preforms so well in Finland that he joins HJK on a regular basis, or when he returns to Celtic he is allowed to leave on loan or on a permanent basis this time next year.
Unless some changes significantly over the next year, you would think that Hazard might have played his last game for Celtic.
His chances of becoming first choice for the Hoops all but evaporated as soon as Ange Postecoglou signed Joe Hart, who is the number one goalkeeper at the club, with Scott Bain number two.
At 23-years-old Hazard will want to play first-team football on a regular basis, and the fact that Bain recently signed a new deal with Celtic is another obstacle to his path to first-team football at Celtic Park.
Hazard has played eight games in total for the Celtic first-team, and one of those games will live long in the memory, as Hazard saves two penalties in the shootout against Hearts to ensure that Celtic won the Scottish Cup Final to be complete a quadruple treble in December 2020.
YouTube: ALL THE PENALTIES as Celtic Won the Scottish Cup against Hearts | Scottish Cup Final 2019-20
Hazard deserves a lot of credit for standing up to be counted during that shootout, as it could have been easy for him to crumble under the pressure of Celtic going for the treble. But Hazard did his job, and the player ended up with a winner’s medal.
Hazard hasn’t featured for Celtic that often since then, as Neil Lennon selected Scott Bain and Vasilas Barkas last season, and as has already been stated, Joe Hart has been Ange Postecoglou’s main goalkeeper.
That has severely limited Hazard’s playing time, and it is no real surprise that the player and Celtic have come to an agreement that it is best for him to leave the club on loan.
Only time will tell if Hazard ever plays for the Bhoys ever again. If he doesn’t, he should be content that he played his part in helping Celtic make history at Hampden Park and he was the hero as the quadruple treble was won.
