Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has named Mikey Johnston, Liel Abada and James McCarthy as the three players who need to step up for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
On Thursday evening, Ange’s squad suffered yet more injury blows to Anthony Ralston, Stephen Welsh and Jota, who were all subbed off in the 1-0 win over Hearts.
Writing in his weekly column for the Daily Record, Sutton believes that we are starting to see some gaps in Postecoglou’s side when it comes to depth, as he called on more fringe stars to step up to the plate.
“Celtic are now a side showing good traits in terms of what’s required to get over the line, but they are so heavily stretched, and it’s going to get worse.
“The sight of Jota pulling up against Hearts with what appeared to be a hamstring injury is a major worry.
“Anthony Ralston hobbled off, as did Stephen Welsh; these issues could prove significant.
“Jota’s going to be a huge loss; hopefully, he’s not out for long as he’s been superb in the last few months and is a key attacking weapon.
“It’s time for other players, those boys who are on the fringe need to come to the fore.
“Mikey Johnston, Liel Abada and James McCarthy, it’s time for all of them to step up.
“Thursday’s win against Hearts in midweek kicked off a nine-game fixture list for December; it’s going to be a month which stretches Celtic to the limit.
“I had to check Johnston’s age, and it’s hard to believe he’s still only 22. I can remember him playing a Champions League qualifier in Sarajevo a few years ago; he was excellent that night and scored. That was the start of a really good campaign for him, and then he dropped out of things.
“He’s someone who needs to show more; for years now, he’s been in and around the first team but hasn’t managed to get a decent run in the side. Injuries haven’t helped his cause, but his time is now, and he needs to show Postecoglou what he can do and on a consistent basis. It looks as though he’ll get his opportunity now as a straight replacement for Jota, and he’s got to grab it.”
He continued: “McCarthy’s an interesting one, he’s arrived on a four-year contract and has a pedigree and was a high profile signing, but again he was on the bench against Hearts after starting against Aberdeen on Saturday he should be making himself a permanent fixture.
“He’s another who’s had injury and illness issues, but he really hasn’t performed; there needs to be much more from him.”
With December being an incredibly busy month of games for Postecoglou and his squad, he will need other players to step up for some crucial fixtures over the next month.
Picking up more injuries is a far from ideal scenario, given the lack of depth in certain areas of the field.
However, I am sure Ange will have faith in the players he is putting out there to replace his injured stars.
From now, we just need the squad to dig deep for results and get us to the halfway line in January, when more additions can be made.
