Ange Postecoglou faces a major selection dilemma as the Celtic boss faces up to the prospect of a lengthy absence for Callum McGregor.
The captain had to be replaced in the first half of the 3-1 Champions League defeat to RB Leipzig, and Postecoglou has confirmed the worst fears of Celtic fans when he revealed the Scotland international had suffered "a fairly significant" knee injury and isn't looking at a "short-term" return. The absence of McGregor leaves the Australian reevaluating his squad options as he looks for a new anchor to his midfield.
When the summer window closed the Celtic squad was lauded for it's strength in depth and has already been put the test with the absence of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt. But the void left by talisman McGregor will take things to a different level for the Parkhead boss as he looks to match the experience level and quality of the skipper
But what options does the Celtic boss have it his disposal? Record Sport goes in depth on the Hoops midfield.
Aaron Mooy
The Australian international appeared to the be natural choice for Ange Postecoglou when looking for a Callum McGregor alternative following his summer arrival. McGregor has been the first name on the team sheet for Postecoglou since he took charge, but 32-year-old Mooy's technical ability looked to be a way to offer the captain respite from his key role in the Parkhead engine room.
However he has made just one start so far this season, in the defeat to St Mirren, when he played alongside McGregor and was hooked at half-time. Should he recover from the niggling injury that kept him out against Leipzig, the clash with St Johnstone could see Mooy receive a second chance to prove he is the solution to the long-term injury headache.
Yosuke Ideguchi
Ideguchi's Celtic career so far has been derailed by injury and McGregor's ever-presence means opportunities for him to play have been extremely limited. The Japan international has managed just one start since making the move to Celtic Park in January, and an injury in pre-season means he has not played a single minute this term.
He was this week spotted in training with the squad before they jetting off to Leipzig for the Champions League showdown. Could Postecoglou have been looking towards the game against St Johnstone on Saturday, having known McGregor was already suspended?
It could be a major chance for Ideguchi to finally get his Celtic career off the ground. One drawback to becoming McGregor's long term successor could be that he has been left out of the Champions League squad given his fitness woes.
Oliver Abildgaard
Following his summer arrival from Rubin Kazan, Abildgaard has been kept in cold storage as he quietly ramped up his fitness levels. In the past week he has rapidly increased his involvement as he made his debut with a late appearance off the bench against Motherwell before replacing McGregor when he picked up the knee injury in Germany.
The Dane struggled to get to grips with Leipzig at times, as Marco Rose's men took control of the midfield for long spells at the RB Arena. It now remains to be seen if he has done enough to get the nod to start against St Johnstone and establish himself as McGregor's successor.
Scott Robertson
Robertson has spent the last two campaigns away from Celtic on loan at Gillingham, Doncaster Rovers, and Crewe Alexandra. This term he remained at Parkhead with his contract entering the final year as he looked to catch the eye of Postecoglou.
The 21-year-old hasn't really had a look-in apart from pre-season cameos, but he will be hoping his fortunes are about to change. Robertson was a surprise inclusion on the bench for the clash with RB Leipzig.
While he didn't make an appearance in Germany, the Lennoxtown academy graduate will be hoping that he is able to ramp up his game time in the absence of McGregor. Could he follow in Anthony Ralston's footsteps and make a surprise top team breakthrough?
James McCarthy
McCarthy has struggled to make any impact at Celtic since arriving at his boyhood heroes, but the 31-year-old's experience could prove vital without skipper McGregor. Summer arrivals of Mooy and Abildgaard appeared to signal that the Ireland cap was on the way out of Celtic Park before the end of the window.
In the end he remained in Glasgow's east end to fight for his place, but has been limited to just two appearances off the bench so far. With Mooy and Abildgaard still searching for match fitness, could it finally be the former Crystal Palace and Everton's time for a run in the team?
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