The Celtic squad has been plagued by injuries in recent weeks with a number of key players out of action. The list includes Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, Maik Nawrocki, Stephen Welsh, Oh Hyeon-Gyu and Marco Tilio. Usually in a scenario such as this the depth of the squad comes into good use and provides an opportunity for players to grab the chances they are handed and make a name for themselves.
It could also provide the pathway in recent years for some of the youth academy products to get rare minutes in the first-team with the likes of Kieran Tierney being one of the beneficiaries of this.
Which players currently in the Celtic squad can establish themselves in the first-team amidst the ongoing injury crisis?
Gustaf Lagerbielke
The Swede signed from Elfsborg just last week for a fee worth around £2.9million and was immediately thrust into action at Rugby Park where a lacklustre team performance and an exceptional show from Kilmarnock led to Celtic exiting the Viaplay Cup at the first time of asking.
Injuries have opened the door for Lagerbielke to have far more opportunities in the first-team than he perhaps would have first expected in the early stages of his Celtic career. The 23-year-old was a first-team starter for the side that sat atop the Swedish Allsvenskan prior to moving to Celtic so getting up to speed and gaining match sharpness shouldn’t be an issue.
With Lagerbielke being the only fit natural centre-back currently under first-team consideration, there will be a lot more responsibility placed on his shoulders to hit the ground running and it is up to the new signing to repay the faith Rodgers instilled in him by signing him in the first place.
Odin Holm
Odin Holm has impressed in the brief opportunities that he was given in pre-season as well as against Ross County and Aberdeen. As a result of this, Brendan Rodgers granted the Norwegian his first start for the club since signing from Eliteserien side Valerenga back in July for £2.5million. Holm didn’t set the world alight in the loss to Kilmarnock but he has shown enough qualities in limited minutes to prove that he has a part to play at Celtic.
Showing good ball-carrying and tackling abilities, Holm should be a player to step up whilst the squad struggles with injuries. With no timeframe for Reo Hatate’s return and David Turnbull waiting to grab any opportunity he gets, it will be interesting to see which of the pair nails down the starting spot whilst the Japanese recovers from injury.
B-Team to step up?
As previously mentioned, in times gone by an injury crisis would have provided the perfect opportunity for one of the younger players in the Celtic setup to get an opportunity. The aforementioned Kieran Tierney was called upon by Ronny Deila when an injury to Emilio Izaguirre just so happened to be a blessing in disguise.
Other examples of this include Roy Aitken who was granted an opportunity against Stenhousemuir at just 16, and Peter Grant who was handed his first opportunities in the face of an injury to, low and behold, Roy Aitken.
As far as the current crop of talent goes, Rocco Vata has been the main player earmarked for big things at Celtic Park and could finally make his big break at the club and get opportunities in the squad.
With the likes of Club Brugge and Torino circling for the 18-year-old’s signature, granting him some opportunities over the next few weeks could bring the club closer to unearthing the overwhelming potential he possesses and could also ward off any potential suitors for Vata.
JAMES MCKENZIE
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