Opinion

Celtic have one player who will be secretly gutted to see Stephen Welsh recalled from Motherwell loan

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Stephen Welsh is back at Celtic and will be back in contention to play for the Hoops.

Welsh was recalled by Celtic after an excellent first half of the campaign out on loan at Motherwell.

With Cameron Carter-Vickers out of action until the end of the season, options on the right hand side of centre-back are sparse.

Auston Trusty has been filling in there but is left-footed, meaning that the 25-year-old would be a more natural option.

You would imagine Trusty will share the centre-back duties with Liam Scales on the left side, but there is one player who may be more gutted than others to see the return of Welsh.

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Stephen Welsh controls the ball in the Como Cup between Al Ahli and Celtic
Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Dane Murray falls further down the pecking order after Welsh return

Following the cancellation of Jahmai Simpson-Pusey’s loan, there was an opportunity for Dane Murray to force his way into the side.

Murray had a shocker against Hearts in Brendan Rodgers’ final game in charge, but the centre-back may have seen a route back in.

However, Welsh’s return means that he will almost certainly be in contention to play ahead of the 22-year-old and spark question marks about his future.

Like Welsh, Murray came through the Celtic academy but has failed to really establish himself in the first-team.

He is the obvious candidate to fall down the pecking order, and it is hard to see where he gets back into the side.

Dane Murray of Celtic celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Premier Sports League Cup match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

It’s time to say goodbye to Dane Murray

News of Welsh’s return surely means the end of Murray at the end of the season.

A busy fixture schedule means he needs to be kept around for now in the event of an injury crisis but next year, he is the sort of player that should be moving on.

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Celtic huddle before the William Hill Premiership match between Dundee United and Celtic
Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images

At 23, it is clear that he will never be a regular in the team and deserves to be given a chance to play somewhere else.