Celtic have a total of 12 first-team players out on loan. It’s enough to create a starting eleven and if anything it just shows you the depth of the squad we have.
But what it also tells you is that there are clearly some that will need to be moved on. Because, with all the best will in the world, there are players that will not get any game time.
With all of them due to return at the end of the season, Ange Postecoglou has some decisions to make.
And when discussing Liam Scales’ future, the Celtic manager set a timeline for when they can all be expected to be told where their future lies at the club.
Postecoglou said, [Daily Record], “We’ll wait until the summer. It’s good to see Liam doing so well at Aberdeen. When you put guys out on loan you hope they get good experience and make an impact. Liam has done that and I know Barry Robson and the club have been really happy with him.
“But those decisions will be made at the end of the year. We’ll see what’s best for him and the club. The guys will all need some sort of clarity moving forward. We will look at them all on an individual basis. We’ll get to that when the time is right.”
There will be some players that still believe that they can have a future at Celtic. Tobi Oluwayemi, Ewan Otoo, Adam Montgomery and Jonny Kenny will believe at their age, they can still develop enough to help contribute to the first-team squad.
Even Mikey Johnston at 24 years old may well be able to offer competition in the wings. But only if he can stay fit.
But the rest will probably be told that their futures lay elsewhere. Which isn’t a bad thing.
Vasilis Barkas and Liam Scales have shown that with the right move, they can make an impact and improve another club’s first team.
The point is, the players on loan are still very talented, they have just found it difficult to break into Ange Postecoglou’s side. So for the sake of their careers, they should be moved on.
In other news, John Hartson tells Celtic’s unsung hero what he needs to do to prove doubters wrong
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