Returning Celtic star Olivier Ntcham divides support after Rangers win

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Olivier Ntcham’s return to the Celtic starting XI came a lot earlier than expected.

The Frenchman started the 2-1 victory against Rangers yesterday, and played just over an hour before being hooked for Tom Rogic.

In terms of his performance, it was a bit of a mixed bag on the day. He got into some great areas and showed terrific ball-control throughout. But on occasion, the big midfielder struggled to release it quickly enough and often ended up losing possession too easily.

His performance has certainly divided amongst some Celtic fans on social media too. Here’s a look at the reaction to the returning former Manchester City star.

https://twitter.com/_RyanCairney/status/1112384788659347457

https://twitter.com/thefrankod/status/1112384541526818816

https://twitter.com/ColmCeltic/status/1112384170213412864

https://twitter.com/JanKubis/status/1112367306997420032

https://twitter.com/kraljski/status/1112383366396022785

https://twitter.com/dkmsean/status/1112397236808359936

Plenty more to come from him

Ntcham’s return is a massive boost ahead of the run-in. The title may be just about over after going 13 points clear with that win yesterday, but the treble-treble is still up for grabs.

It was clear that Ntcham wasn’t fully fit. His last competitive game was actually against Rangers at Ibrox back in December. Since then, his only game-time has been a bounce match against Morton over a week ago.

So to produce the plus-points he did without being fully-fit bodes well for the future. The Frenchman adds a touch of class to Celtic in the midfield, and you could see some of that elegance against Steven Gerrard’s outfit.

Tom Rogic showed a similar lack of fitness. The Aussie’s ball-control wasn’t the best, and he looked as though he’d been playing for an hour when he came on for Ntcham. It’s clear that neither man is quite there yet, but that win could be a big shot in the arm for both of them.

Just having them back around the place is reassuring. It adds massive quality with regards to the depth at Parkhead, and hopefully, Rogic’s return in particular can sort out the number 10 position.

But Ntcham can be pleased with himself. He was part of a Celtic team that bossed Rangers for over an hour before coming off. He managed it without clearly being 100% fit too.