With Hatem Elhamed and Nir Bitton closing in on respective returns, Celtic youngster Stephen Welsh’s short stint in the starting XI looks like coming to an end.
Welsh had been given a couple of glorious opportunities over the last couple of weeks when he played the full duration of the Rangers game and then the first half against AC Milan.
The Lennoxtown graduate found himself hooked at half-time against the Rossoneri as Neil Lennon looked to change to a back four with a partnership involving Shane Duffy and Kristoffer Ajer.
Celtic performed to a better standard with a defensive four against Milan, and that led to Welsh being benched for the 3-3 draw at Pittodrie on Sunday. All of a sudden, with Elhamed and Bitton now becoming available for selection, Welsh looks to be back down the pecking order.
But he’s shown more than enough to suggest that he’s ready for continued first-team action. It shouldn’t be that he fades into obscurity like he did last season after impressing on his debut against Hamilton. After starring in that 4-1 win in South Lanarkshire, Welsh was dropped and didn’t play again before the game against Rangers.
Yet it’s worth pointing out that in the derby match, Welsh put in just as decent a performance as Ajer and was more competent on the day than Duffy. He didn’t look out of place, was comfortable with the ball at his feet, and didn’t let the occasion get to him.
Welsh did himself no harm in recent matches
Against Milan he looked a touch more out of his depth, and was beaten too easily in the air for Milan’s opener. But that’s fine. We’re talking AC Milan here – a team that will have eyes on winning both Serie A and the Europa League this season. You couldn’t reasonably expect Welsh to shine against them given it was only his third Celtic appearance.
But what’s key for him now is more consistent exposure in the Celtic first-team. Our chance to send him on loan has now passed, and it’s looked like being a shrewd decision given the Covid call-offs.
However, between now and Christmas, Celtic have home fixtures against St Johnstone, Kilmarnock, and Ross County respectively. These are games in which Welsh would be highly-suited for. A chance against clubs fighting at the lower end of the table with the comfort of Celtic Park around him.
Yes, I get this isn’t a season where we can take any game lightly. Not with 10-in-a-row at stake. But that’s my point – playing Welsh against these sides isn’t a risk. He’s shown absolutely nothing that suggests he can’t perform against Premiership opposition.
So the last thing we need to see now is him being dropped back out of matchday squads and never to be heard of again until the next injury crisis. That does nothing for his development.
It’ll be interesting to see how he’s used now that he’s closing in on being fifth/sixth choice again. Hopefully, his first-team exposure continues to be consistent.
In other news, Lennon has touched on a heart-to-heart he needed to have with one of his Celtic stars.
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