James McCarthy unlikely to make his Celtic debut against Dundee

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New signing James McCarthy is unlikely to make his Celtic debut against Dundee at Parkhead later on today, with the game probably coming too soon for the midfielder.

McCarthy was snapped up by the Hoops on a four-year contract last week. This came after he spent the summer without a club after his Crystal Palace deal came to an end.

There have been question marks stretching back to last week on whether he would make today’s Premiership clash, with the player unsure on whether he would be picked [Daily Record].

However, manager Ange Postecoglou has stated that in all probability, McCarthy will need to wait a bit longer.

As quoted by the Scottish Sun, Postecoglou said: “We will see how James is. He has had a couple of sessions while we were away for the European game, and he has been training on his own.

“Dundee probably comes too quickly for him, but hopefully he can get a good week of training in. We can then look at the games beyond that, maybe the European game or the following weekend.

“I spoke to James on Saturday morning and he feels really good. We’ve been throwing guys in, but I am a bit wary that we don’t put him in too early. I’ll see how he is over the next few days and then make a decision.”

James McCarthy closing in on Celtic debut despite likely Dundee snub

One of the real frustrations under the Neil Lennon era was how long it took new signings to integrate into the side. At times it felt as though we simply didn’t sign players who were ready to come in and make an immediate impact.

We can’t say we have that problem under Postecoglou. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The Greek-Australian tactician has probably had to throw his players in too quickly if we’re being serious. Kyogo Furuhashi and Carl Starfelt being two prime examples.

It looks as though the manager, therefore, wants to take his time with McCarthy. The midfielder has gone too long without training with teammates, and you can understand the hesitancy to throw him in early.

What is promising, however, is that the midfielder is likely ready to play against Jablonec on Thursday night or Hearts in the Betfred Cup next Sunday. We won’t have to wait weeks to see him despite the fact McCarthy hasn’t had a pre-season anywhere.

It’s fair to say he hasn’t been totally ruled out of contention today either. Postecoglou sounds as though he’s leaning one side, but no firm decision has been made yet in his own words.

But Celtic have the players to get a convincing job done on Dundee this afternoon. If the manager doesn’t feel the need to throw him in so early, then he’s perfectly right to avoid it.

In other news, Davie Provan already liking the look of 2 Postecoglou Celtic signings