Chris Sutton Warns Celtic Star ‘Will Be Badly Missed’

Chris Sutton believes Celtic deserved their victory over St Mirren but still sees areas of Martin O’Neill’s side that need work.

The Hoops came from behind at The Marbill Coaches Stadium to win 2-1, with Liam Scales cancelling out Nikolas Agrafiotis’ penalty before Hyun-jun Yang completed the turnaround.

Haissem Hassan also caught Sutton’s eye with his direct running, while Camilo Duran again played a big part in the result. The Colombian worked hard throughout and produced the assist for Yang’s winner after winning the ball back in midfield.

Posting after the game, Sutton wrote on X:

Celtic deserved the win. Hassan absolutely outstanding in the 1 v 1’s Duran works so hard and another assist. Yang will be badly missed. The subs not giving the team the desired effect. Celtic don’t have that midfield enforcer they need. St Mirren brave. A very well coached team.

— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) September 5, 2026

Hassan was a constant threat when isolated against his marker and repeatedly tried to drive Celtic forward from the right.

Duran’s contribution was another positive. His pressing created the second goal, with the striker winning possession before quickly sending Yang through one-on-one with Jacob Chapman.

Yang then kept his composure to finish, although his night ended shortly afterwards when he was forced off with an injury.

The Hoops winger is also due to join up with South Korea for the Asian Games on September 7, meaning Celtic were already preparing to lose him for a run of fixtures.

His absence will cover both Rangers clashes and Celtic’s Europa League meeting with Ferencváros if South Korea go deep into the tournament.

Sutton’s concern came from what happened after Celtic took the lead.

O’Neill made several changes, with James Forrest, Oliver Sørensen and Sebastian Tounekti all introduced before Shim Mheuka and Dane Murray followed later.

St Mirren managed to create more late pressure after those changes, with Viljami Sinisalo required to make several saves as Celtic protected their advantage.

Sutton also returned to an issue he clearly believes remains in the squad, saying Celtic “don’t have that midfield enforcer they need.”

That position has been discussed throughout the summer, particularly with Celtic looking at midfield options before the window closed.

O’Neill ultimately got the three points in Paisley, but Sutton’s comments show why the manner in which Celtic managed the closing stages will still attract attention despite maintaining their perfect league start.