On Thursday night, Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side came away with an impressive 3-2 win over Spanish side Real Betis despite several changes to the side.

However, that victory appears to have come at a cost for the former Socceroos boss with frontman Kyogo Furuhashi, who was brought off the bench early in the first half, forced off in the 71st minute due to injury.

Of course, that leaves Ange Postecoglou short on strikers going into a busy period in the season, with Albian Ajeti also forced off due to injury and Giorgos Giakoumakis facing a spell on the sidelines.

So, we decided to take a look at the possible options that could replace Kyogo up top from the B side, who have been playing their football in the Lowland League under Tommy McIntyre this season.

Joey Dawson

After scoring three goals in his last five matches for the Hoops, Dawson is currently the first choice in the Celtic B side upfront.

The 18-year old joined the club in the summer from Scunthorpe and has made 14 appearances under McIntyre so far this campaign.

Although he is ahead in the pecking order for the B side, I think it is unlikely that Ange will turn to the Englishman.

This is due to the difference in his playstyle for Dawson, who is a tall striker and is not as mobile as the likes of Kyogo, which can be crucial to the way Celtic play.

Adam Brooks

In my opinion, Adam Brooks is the closest player we currently have at the club to Kyogo.

Now, I know that is a big comparison to make and in no way am I comparing the two players ability, with the 17-year old still having so much more to learn.

However, in terms of playstyle, Brooks is very similar to the Japanese internationalist. Not the tallest of strikers, who presses opposition defences with pace and likes to find pockets of space in behind the backline.

It will likely be too early for the young striker, but it will certainly be interesting to see how he develops under Ange, with the similarities he has.

Owen Moffat/Rocco Vata

Moffat and Vata are two players who a large section of the support will almost definitely have heard of, with the coverage both have had coming through the ranks.

The duo have played the majority of their football in wide areas on either wing, but they do possess the ability to play in any position across the frontline.

This has led to them having a combined tally of 16 goals so far between the two, taking the top two spots in the goalscoring list in all competitions for the B side – along with Brooks, who closely follows in joint second.

Overall

Of course, there is still a chance that Kyogo’s injury comes back not as bad as first feared. However, it would be interesting to see Ange turn to the B side for possible options in attacking areas.

For me, it feels a little unlikely at this moment in time. If there were to be one player called up to add depth to the attacking line during this busy spell and injury worries, it would be Owen Moffat.

This is due to his first-team experiences already under Ange and the ability he has shown in front of goal in the Lowland League.

We will have to wait until tomorrow evening for any sort of signs that any players might be asked to take the step up as Tommy McIntyre’s side prepare to face off against East Stirlingshire.

His starting line-up should give us some hints if any.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.