Although the news that Carl Starfelt will be missing for a large chunk of pre-season is nothing to be celebrated, it could be the chance some Celtic players have been waiting for.
Starfelt suffered a hamstring injury on Sweden duty last month and Ange Postecoglou has confirmed he will miss some of the upcoming friendly matches.
He is expected to be back in action for the Scottish Premiership opener against Aberdeen if his rehabilitation continues to go well.
Cameron Carter-Vickers remains the first-choice pick in defence alongside this now open slot, but Starfelt’s situation will have alerted the club’s other defenders – including Bosun Lawal.
Lawal, still just 19, is primarily part of the Celtic B squad that competes in the Lowland League – but this could be the summer he proves to everyone that he is destined for a senior breakthrough.
The defender already has a full 90 minutes under his belt – playing the entire match against Wiener Viktoria.
Although it’s difficult to read too much into his performance against such a weak side, he did approach the fixture in the correct manner, looked comfortable on the ball and was following the coaching instructions of quick one and two-touch play.
Put simply, I like the look of him. He carries himself in a confident manner, also possessing strength alongside obvious composure.
Lawal is highly-rated in the Celtic set-up.
Coach Tommy McIntyre told 67 Hail Hail earlier this year: “I think he’s been a real find. He had a bad injury there and was out for a long period of time and then there were some other medical problems. He’s come back and he’s gone away with the Republic [of Ireland].
“I think he can do more, and he’ll probably say the same thing I think. But that’s up to the staff to make sure we get the best out of him. He’s still young, but I think there’s potential there. Like everybody else there’s potential, they’re not the finished article. But he’s one we’re hopeful of for the future.”
On the face of it, Christopher Jullien and Stephen Welsh remain ahead of him in the pecking order. However, Jullien has already held signing talks with other clubs this summer and could be heading for the exit door quickly.
It would make sense for Postecoglou to invest more playing time into the former Watford academy player rather than the Frenchman.
This is a great opportunity to see if Lawal can cope with the intensity and pace of the senior Celtic style, especially up against stronger opposition in Rapid Vienna and Banik Ostrava.
With plenty of minutes of consequence-free football on the horizon over the next couple of weeks, it’s an opportunity that could really help accelerate Lawal’s push into the first-team.
Hopefully he can seize this chance, turn heads in training and force his way onto the pitch. Then we could all get a look at what he offers.
In other news, Frank Lampard talks up Celtic; Everton strength in Sydney becomes clear despite World Cup.
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