Cameron Carter-Vickers is the best defender in the Premiership.
While Celtic fans are fretting about the loss of Kyogo Furuhashi in terms of pushing a title challenge, I’d say the centre-back has become their next most important player.
It is absolutely imperative that he stays fit and in-form until the end of the season if Ange Postecoglou ’s squad are to grab the league flag.
Look, I’m well aware that there are other players who are really exciting and can be classed as more talented individuals.
Jota, for example, is a big performer. Amidst the excitement over the outstanding debuts of Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda at the start of the week, it almost went unnoticed by many that the Portuguese got onto the park for the last eight minutes as a sub.
The on loan Benfica winger was in dynamic form before his hamstring went at the start of December and Celtic missed him badly.
Jota can make things happen and his comeback to the fold, especially given he’ll now be available for vital upcoming fixtures against the likes of Hearts and Rangers, is a massive boost to Postecoglou.
The Celtic manager now has previously-lacking options in the attacking areas.
Even though he’s lost Furuhashi for a period, he’s got Maeda, he’s got Giorgis Giakoumakis, he’s got James Forrest, Liel Abada and now Jota. Senior figures ready to go.
Hatate was excellent on his debut and he’s given key cover in the middle of the park along with Yosuke Ideguchi.
Even with David Turnbull on the sidelines, there looks to be enough back-up.
Losing Tom Rogic on Australia duty isn’t great news, but Callum McGregor can go into the role if needed now that Hatate is there with Nir Bitton, James McCarthy or Ideguchi able to sit.
It might even be that Matt O’Riley is viewed as being able to step right into the Rogic void over the next fortnight if gets bedded into the team after moving from MK Dons. From what I hear, it’s a job he can do.
However, I’m not sure the quality of cover is there for Carter-Vickers.
The on loan Tottenham defender has really impressed me since he signed. I wasn’t sure how he’d develop at Celtic, but he’s been terrific.
Myself and my old sparring partner Ally McCoist had a good old-fashioned debate when I said he was the best in the top-flight.
That’s my view. I look at the likes of John Souttar and Connor Goldson and I believe Carter-Vickers is performing better.
He has brought a solidity to Celtic on the domestic front. Fair enough, he’s been part of a backline which has continued to ship goals in Europe.
But, in the Premiership and on the way to winning the Premier Sports Cup, Carter-Vickers put an assurance into the rearguard that wasn’t there before he signed.
Postecoglou could not find a proper pairing at the start. He had Stephen Welsh in there, youngster Dane Murray was used, so was Bitton. Carl Starfelt was added to the mix.
I accept the lack of continuity was an early problem and the addition of Joe Hart had a positive influence as well as added consistency of selection after August.
Yet Carter-Vickers has been the glue. He defends well in one-against-one situations and he’s decent in the air, crucially, in both boxes.
He’s quick and reads the game well. Starfelt played okay against Hibs at the start of the week, but I am yet to be convinced.
Welsh has done alright, but having those two as a pairing again looks a big downgrade from having Carter-Vickers in there.
Christopher Jullien is returning, but you cannot say how long it is going to take him to get back to his best form or if he’ll even get there.
The Frenchman has been out for over a year and that’s a lot of time missed. He’s got a long road back to his peak and will be rusty for a while when his chances do come.
Put simply, if there is one other player apart from Furuhashi that Celtic would not want to be missing out on a key game at the moment, it’s Carter-Vickers.
Perhaps apart from Hart in the goal, the defender is most crucial to the set-up. He is calm and losing him for a prolonged period may be unsustainable when it comes to mounting a title bid.
Postecoglou will be relieved he doesn’t have to go away with the USA national team for their games against El Salvador, Canada and Honduras over the next fortnight.
That would have been a shuddering blow with the matches against Hearts, Dundee United and Rangers all coming in that period.
Celtic would have been severely weakened in a key area of the team if he had got the nod from coach Gregg Berhalter and, unlike other areas of the pitch at the moment, I can’t see how they would fill the gaping void adequately.
Three games would have been bad enough for Carter-Vickers to be away. Any more as a result of an injury or other issue would be a hammer blow.
Losing the best striker in the Premiership this season for a chunk of games has been hard enough for Postecoglou.
Losing the best defender into the bargain as well would be a nightmare.
