Celtic still have a chance to sort out their current mess.
Martin O’Neill is, thankfully, back in the Celtic dugout, and he is going to need to use the January transfer window to fix some of the bigger issues.
One of the areas of the pitch that needs strengthening is the defence, and in particular, the right side, with Alistair Johnston and Cameron Carter-Vickers not available due to long-term injuries.
When discussing Celtic’s problems following Wilfried Nancy’s sacking, Scott Brown highlighted the absence of Carter-Vickers.
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Celtic are missing ‘Rolls-Royce’ Cameron Carter-Vickers
More than likely, Celtic fans won’t see Carter-Vickers again this season, as he is also expected to miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by America, because of an achilles tendon injury.
The USMNT defender has been out of action since October, and Brown thinks it has been a huge blow for the champions of Scotland.
Speaking on The Breakdown, Brown labelled Carter-Vickers as a ‘Rolls-Royce’, and what his absence means as O’Neill now takes to the dugout for the rest of the season.
“Carter-Vickers is a huge, huge miss for us,” said Brown. “It’s the core of your team, really.
“You have Cal (McGregor) in there, who is set and is going to play every week. You haven’t got that Carter-Vickers kind of Rolls-Royce at the back, and you haven’t got anybody scoring goals.”
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Carter-Vickers’ stats for Celtic this season
The issue with Carter-Vickers’ injury is the imbalance it has brought to the backline. Liam Scales and Auston Trusty haven’t coped as well.
Yes, Nancy’s ill-fated reign hasn’t helped anybody, but Celtic will need to dip into the transfer market to buy a right-sided centre-back.
- Carter-Vickers’ games: 13
- Goals conceded: 9
- Clean Sheets: 7
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