Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed the reasoning behind his half-time change, which saw Matt O’Riley replace Tom Rogic, confirming that the Aussie midfielder was fine and did not pick up a knock.
The 29-year old was handed a starting spot alongside Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate for the third game running, as the Hoops made a brilliant start to the game, finding themselves 3-0 up at the break.
Postecoglou then made the decision to replace Rogic at the break, leaving some fans fearing whether he had picked up an injury knock.
However, as quoted by the Daily Record, Postecoglou revealed that there were no injury concerns for the attacking midfielder and that his decision was purely down to offering players such as O’Riley an opportunity.
“Tom is fine, it was just a decision of mine. He had done his work and I was pretty keen to get Matty some game time.
“It was a bit of a false start last week, coming on and then off [for O’Riley]. I am mindful of how hard all these guys are working and I want to give them opportunities in case we need them.”
With the game all but won, it was likely a sensible decision from Ange to hand other players game time, especially given O’Riley’s short spell of action last weekend.
The decision certainly paid off, with the Danish under-21 internationalist adding two goals in the emphatic 7-0 win over St Johnstone.
The squad is currently in a great place, with the majority of players having returned from injury, and yesterday that was showcased once again from Ange’s changes.
