Martin O’Neill has admitted he still does not know what his strongest Celtic XI looks like as the Hoops prepare for a hectic run of fixtures.
Celtic face four games in the space of around ten days, beginning with Wednesday night’s Premiership trip to St Johnstone before a League Cup quarter-final clash with Rangers at Ibrox.
The Hoops then open their Europa League campaign at home to Ferencváros before hosting Rangers again in the league.
O’Neill will need to get the balance right across the demanding schedule as he looks to maintain Celtic’s positive start to the season.
The Irishman has also been handed a number of new options in recent weeks, with several summer signings still waiting for their first starts or competitive debuts.
That means there are plenty of unknowns for the Celtic boss as he continues to assess his squad.
O’Neill admits he is still working out which players are best suited to his team and insists there is no definitive answer when it comes to his strongest XI at this stage.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had an idea of what my best side has been,” O’Neill said to The Celtic Way.
“I think if you want to be serious about it, the answer is no at the moment because the very obvious thing is that we’ve got some boys coming into the football club.
“I hazard a guess, or hopefully more than a guess, of what these players can do, what you’ve seen them do.
“But until they’re actually in this building, they’re actually training with this side, and then in the games, the matchdays, which is the one that decides everything, then you’ll not know.
“So the side that I put out tonight or the side that went out on Saturday evening, maybe after the international break, might not be the side that you feel might be our best team.”
The next ten days will provide another major test of that squad depth, with Celtic facing Rangers twice, a European fixture and a Premiership trip to Perth.
With the Hoops still unbeaten domestically and targeting another successful title defence, O’Neill will hope his new arrivals can quickly prove they are ready to challenge the established starters.
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