Celtic have had their fair share of injury problems in the first few months of this season, something that has limited a proper squad assessment from Brendan Rodgers at this stage.
In the first few weeks it was a spate of injuries that crippled the club’s options at centre-back, with Rodgers having to turn to Liam Scales and Gustaf Lagerbielke to help see the team through a tough round of fixtures.
Liam Scales was the shining light from that injury crisis, but the most recent outbreak of injuries has depleted the options available in the forward areas.
An injury to Reo Hatate has also created an opportunity for someone to step into the midfield alongside Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley, with the likes of David Turnbull and Paulo Bernardo both making their best attempts to make that position their own in the absence of the Japanese midfielder.
With two places up for grabs, there are two players who look best served to make those positions their own over the next few weeks.
Odin Thiago Holm
Holm was earning rave reviews from supporters for his first few appearances in a Celtic shirt, with some impressive cameos from the bench resulting in calls for a starting position from some supporters.
A start in the Viaplay Cup exit to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park didn’t get him off to the greatest of starts, and his momentum was hit even further with a disastrous Champions League debut against Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
Holm was brought on for Reo Hatate after 58 minutes, but just 10 minutes later he was shown a straight red card for a reckless tackle on the Feyenoord attacker. This was followed up by an injury that led to a lengthy absence from the team, not allowing him to rectify his mistake at De Kuip.
Upon his return from injury, however, he has continued to show similar qualities to the promise he displayed in his first few appearances, and is showing all of the necessary qualities to be an impressive all-rounder in the middle of the park for Celtic.
Rodgers has noted that he needs to bulk up a bit, but he could go a long way to rectifying that red card in Rotterdam by turning in some good performances over the next few weeks.
Yang Hyun-jun
Much like the aforementioned Holm, the South Korean was impressive in the early stages of the season, but a few lacklustre appearances from a starting position led to some doubts creeping in.
Those doubters have been well and truly silenced over the last few weeks with Yang turning in some starring performances from starting positions, including in the trip to Dingwall to face Ross County as well as the visit of Aberdeen to Celtic Park before the international break.
Working with Harry Kewell has seen the technical aspect of his game coming on leaps and bounds over the last few weeks, and his willingness to run at opposition defenders gets the crowd off their feet and excites the Celtic support.
With places up for grabs over the next few weeks, this pair look best placed to nail down those positions.
JAMES MCKENZIE // Follow James HERE
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