Kris Boyd has praised Aston Villa loanee Matija Sarkic following an excellent display for Livingston.
The Montenegrin made his league debut for the Lions against Celtic, keeping a clean sheet as his temporary club secured an unlikely win.
Sarkic was making his Livingston league debut against the Hoops. (Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
His side ran out 2-0 winners over the Hoops thanks to goals from Scott Robinson and Lyndon Dykes.
Speaking on Sky Sports Football (14:12, 06/10/19), pundit Boyd says he was impressed with the Villains loanee.
He said: “He was excellent all afternoon. He came for crosses, some he probably shouldn’t have, but he was still willing to come.
A commanding display from the Livi stopper. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
“I thought his handling was excellent, you could hear him communicating with his defenders. His kicking was really good all afternoon.
“A very good afternoon for him.”
Sarkic will be pushing for number one jersey now
This was Sarkic’s first start since a League Cup quarter-final match against Rangers. In that game he was excellent too, with distribution and handling real strengths of his.
Plenty of positives for Aston Villa loanee Sarkic. (Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
Against Celtic he was even better. Sarkic couldn’t have hoped for a better league debut, as not only did he keep a clean sheet, but he created the winning goal too.
His long pass from the back landed in front of Dykes, who managed to lob Fraser Forster to secure the shock victory for his side. It was a mature performance from Sarkic, one that puts him right in the mix for the number one spot.
Aston Villa will no doubt be pleased with Sarkic’s performance on the big stage.