New Celtic signing Josip Juranovic will be available for Sunday’s Glasgow derby at Ibrox, manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed.
Juranovic signed for the Hoops last weekend in a £2.5million move from Legia Warsaw. However, he isn’t able to make his debut against AZ Alkmaar tomorrow due to having already featured in the first leg of the same competition for Legia.
Positively, however, Juranovic is up to speed fitness-wise. The Ekstraklasa is already five games into its new season, meaning the Croatian international is fully fit and ready to go when selected.
And Postecoglou has confirmed that he’ll be available to face Rangers at Ibrox should the manager choose to switch things up.
Speaking via Celtic TV, Postecoglou said: “He’s cup-tied, he played for Legia last week in Europe so he can come in during the later stages. He’ll be available for the weekend.
“It’s not about competition for places, it’s about having a squad that can compete in all of these competitions that we want to be successful in. We know we can’t do that with just 11, 14, or 16 players. You need ideally to have depth in every position on the field and right-back was an area where Anthony Ralston has been outstanding, but I’ve been on tenterhooks hoping he gets through every game because we have no alternative to him.
“Having Josip in it just means we’re wanting to maintain a standard in our football even though we’re going to have a congested fixture schedule. We can only do that if we have quality in-depth as well as quality in our starting teams.”
Celtic signing Josip Juranovic in line for feisty Ibrox debut?
It could be the case that Juranovic is thrown straight in at the deep end on Sunday then. Rangers at Ibrox will always be our most difficult domestic fixture. If Josip performs and manages to be part of a winning side, he becomes an instant hero.
Postecoglou has consistently been talking about the need to have some alternatives to Ralston. As well as that, he’s been looking to give some of his more constant performers rests where possible.
Ralston is getting set for another big 90 minutes in the Netherlands tomorrow night. It’ll be his 10th start in just over a month. Celtic are asking certain players to give everything, and Ralston is one of them.
Sunday could be an opportunity for Anthony to get a rest. Then again, will he even want one? Would Ralston be happy if he was told he was being dropped for Juranovic in what’s our most exciting game of the season so far? It could be the case that the former Scotland under-21 is itching to play.
Postecoglou, of course, will need to take into account what either man can give him. If Juranovic will give him instant quality and an upgraded option, he has to be in the team. If he believes Ralston is currently better placed to put in a good performance given Josip is just in the country, then it’s he who should be getting the call.
It’s great to finally be discussing squad depth for a change. But it opens up an interesting dilemma for Ange ahead of Sunday – albeit a positive one.
In other news, Ange Postecoglou’s latest Celtic transfer update; addresses potential exits
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