Christopher Jullien is now firmly back in the Celtic squad and ready to press ahead with his Hoops career atfter what’s clearly been the 2021 from hell.
The Frenchman had to undergo an operation on his knee after clattering a post against Dundee United back in December 2020. After an extensive rehabilitation phase, Jullien is finally back and made his long-awaited return against Raith Rovers in a 16-minute cameo 9 days ago.
For so much of 2021 there was a real urge for Jullien to get back as quickly as possible. The reason being that he was our top centre-back. There was nobody in the squad more experienced or as capable as the former Toulouse man at the time of his injury.
However, because of how things were last year, many seem to believe that Jullien is still one of the club’s first-choice centre-backs. Ange has, as politely as possible in recent weeks, made that abundantly clear that isn’t the case.
Last month he was asked for the first time in a press conference when Jullien will be back to starting games. Ange simply stated that he was fit and available and that it was about waiting for an opportunity [Celtic TV].
The manager was then asked before the Raith Rovers game whether Jullien would be in the starting XI. He again had to reiterate the same point. That he won’t be in the XI and that he’ll need to wait for an opportunity [Celtic TV].
Celtic boss’ message is clear – Christopher Jullien isn’t a first-choice pick
Jullien can clearly go at the moment for longer than 15 minutes or so. Ange has consistently said he’s fit and available to play for the club. Yet despite being back in contention since the Scottish Cup tie at Alloa last month, he’s hardly been utilised.
Indeed, Ange has had Jullien in 6 matchday squads this year and only used him once. There’s a reason for this, and it’s not one that suits the romantic side of his return. But the truth is that Celtic have evolved from what we were last year, and everyone would acknowledge that.
Jullien is no longer our first-choice centre-back anymore. That tag belongs to the pairing of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt. So long as they’re in form and performing well on a weekly basis, Jullien will have to accept that his place just now is on the bench.
That’s what Ange has been trying to tell us. He isn’t going to come out and state that the Frenchman isn’t part of his strongest XI. That’s not the kind of rhetoric you would expect from your manager. But he doesn’t need to say it outright. It’s been clear in both his selections and his comments that Chris is, at the moment, reliable back-up.
He still has to prove himself to be manager now that he’s fully fit. That could take some time. He’s clearly up to the task of learning how to operate under Ange [Celtic TV]., and given how comfortable he is with the ball at his feet, it should be something he’s well capable of doing.
But it’s likely the case that he’ll be on the sidelines playing a bit-part role between now and the summer. That’s just the brutal reality of the situation. He’ll get his opportunities in due time, but don’t expect it to be in the coming weeks.
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