Celtic have signed nowhere near enough quality players this summer.
Kieran Tierney was a blockbuster capture, but the Celtic board are running out of time to deliver more high-class options for Brendan Rodgers.
Benjamin Nygren has been the most expensive outlay at around £2m, and it’s safe to say on the whole he has impressed.
Michael Stewart said Nygren should have started over Arne Engels for Celtic’s first leg Champions League play-off clash against Kairat Almaty.
That was the case, but Nygren failed to make an impact on the game, which can be said for most of the team in fairness.
McGeady makes two clear points about Celtic star Nygren
Nygren was then a topic of discussion on BBC Sportsound after the 0-0 draw with Kairat, with Tom English and Celtic legend Pat Bonner agreeing the Swede was poor.
Aiden McGeady then chimed in and thinks Celtic were not in desperate need to sign another central midfielder like Nygren, since they were already strong in that area.
However, the former Hoops winger made it clear that he has high hopes for Nygren at Parkhead.
English: “I haven’t seen enough of him (Nygren), to be honest. I wasn’t very impressed with him tonight.”
Bonner: “Yeah, he didn’t perform I don’t think tonight. I thought I was more impressed with him against Aberdeen, but that’s a different level, so there’s a question mark there.
“Also, is he going to come in and improve the team? Is he going to be better than Engels? I don’t know. Not from what I seen tonight.”
English: “You’ve got Engels, who is a classy player sitting on the bench for the first 70 minutes of this match. You’ve got to wonder what’s going on there? It’s £11m they spent on this guy. Is he (Rodgers) falling out of love with him, what’s gone on?
McGeady: “It’s kind of what I was saying before the game, it’s one of those positions where Celtic probably didn’t have to strengthen in, if I’m being totally honest, because you’ve still got Bernardo sitting on the bench as well.
“The strongest area on the pitch is Celtic’s midfield. But look, Packie was saying that Nygren probably didn’t perform tonight. But from what I’ve seen of him so far, I think he will grow into a very good player.
“But then it goes back to show that he’s keeping Engels out the team, and you’ve got an expensive player there who’s sitting on the bench.”
Celtic can tap into Nygren’s versatility
It’s clear that Brendan Rodgers wants Nygren to play as a No.8 alongside Reo Hatate, with captain Callum McGregor sitting behind the pair.
Nygren was good against Aberdeen and in pre-season before that, so Celtic fans will feel he has potential to perform well during his time in Glasgow.
McGeady has a point in that Celtic did not need another central midfielder for this season, but Nygren can also play on the wing.
He may not be the long-term answer for that position, but that versatility could prove useful in the future.
For FC Nordsjælland last season, Nygren played many games out on the right wing and scored 15 goals in the Danish Superliga.
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