Former Celtic forward Chris Sutton says he thought his former club would have been wise to sign Liam Boyce before Hearts secured his signature.

The Northern Ireland international was snapped up by Daniel Stendel’s side from Burton Albion in the January transfer window, and he has already scored two goals and provided two assists in his first two appearances for the Scottish Premiership club.

Sutton believes either Celtic or Old Firm rivals Rangers should have had a look at him:

“I like the signing of Boyce by Hearts. And do you know what? I am a little bit surprised that Celtic or Rangers didn’t go for him, because I think that he is a proven goalscorer, and he would have been a strong back-up.”

Boyce certainly scored plenty of goals for Cliftonville and Ross County, but it should be pointed out that he wasn’t as prolific for Burton in England’s third tier, scoring 19 in 62 appearances for the Brewers.

The Hoops opted to go with a younger alternative in Patryk Klimala, although manager Neil Lennon has yet to hand the 21-year-old his full debut, having given the Polish forward brief cameos in the Scottish Cup win over Partick, and in the league victory against St Johnstone last month.