Centre-back Gustaf Lagerbielke joined Celtic from Swedish top-flight side Elfsborg over the summer. He was labelled a top talent in his homeland but he has found opportunities limited in Glasgow so far.
In total for the Hoops, the 23-year-old has played just seven times in four months. He was started at Ibrox, though, immediately after he signed.
Lagerbielke contributed to a colossal Celtic win on that day. He said (Lundh via Football Scotland): “I played my first game without having done a single training session with the team. It was special. I’m happy with my performance, I’ve played six or seven league games without conceding a single goal.”
Despite a winning debut at the home of his side’s fiercest rivals in which the defender contributed towards a clean sheet, Lagerbielke admitted his current lack of game time is hard. He said: “It’s a tough competitive situation. We have seven centre-backs in the squad who are all senior players. It’s tough competition, that’s the way it is. You just have to make the best of the situation and take every opportunity to get better.”
Brendan Rodgers admitted on Monday that it is difficult to give players such as Lagerbielke minutes because Liam Scales is in the form of his life and Cameron Carter-Vickers is undroppable. It would be foolish to break up such a partnership, even with the current tight schedule of games.
Opportunities will come for the Sweden internationalist eventually. When they do, though, he must take them.
