Martin O’Neill has returned to the Celtic dugout without the benefit of a fully firing squad.
It is little surprise, then, that the interim boss is pushing for swift action in the January transfer window — a stance previously echoed by Brendan Rodgers. Across the last three windows, Celtic have been stripped of significant attacking output with the departures of Nicolas Kühn, Kyogo Furuhashi and Matt O’Riley, leaving a sizeable gap in goals and creativity.
Replacing that production has proven difficult. Summer arrivals Jota and Kelechi Iheanacho have yet to make the desired impact, largely due to persistent injury problems, while the squad has lacked depth at key moments.
O’Neill would dearly welcome the return of both players, along with Alistair Johnston, as he prepares for his first match back in interim charge against Dundee United. Speaking ahead of the fixture, he offered an update on their progress as Celtic look to reassert themselves in a tightening title race.
Since Jota last featured competitively for Celtic, the club have gone through three managerial changes. Iheanacho, meanwhile, managed just a single appearance under Wilfried Nancy before being withdrawn in the first half of the Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren.
Providing an update on Iheanacho and Johnston, O’Neill said:
“It shouldn’t be too long now for both of them. They’ve been on the grass. They’re training on their own at the moment and aren’t too far away.”
Jota’s return, however, remains further off. The Portuguese winger has not played since sustaining a serious injury against Dundee United in April last season.
“Funnily enough, I was speaking to him at lunchtime,” O’Neill added. “He’s still a fair distance away.”
In terms of selection, Liam Scales appears the most likely to return to the starting XI after being dropped under Nancy, while Anthony Ralston could face increased competition following the arrival of Julian Araujo, especially after struggling in a wide centre-back role.
There is better news out wide, with Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha back from AFCON duty, strengthening Celtic’s attacking options. If either is handed a start, Daizen Maeda could be shifted centrally in place of Johnny Kenny.
For O’Neill, the hope is that reinforcements — both from the treatment room and the transfer market — arrive soon enough to steady a side no longer accustomed to cruising through domestic fixtures.
Leave a Reply