Celtic fans change their minds about Hoops star amid Jota claim
Celtic fans have U-turned on Sebastian Tounekti after the winger came off the bench to inspire Martin O’Neill’s side to victory over Kilmarnock.
Tounekti scored the first goal as Celtic came from two goals down at half-time to beat Kilmarnock 3-2 at Rugby Park.
Julian Araujo’s 97th minute winner, after Benjamin Nygren had equalised earlier in the second half, gave Celtic a vital three points in the Scottish Premiership title race.
Hearts‘ 4-2 defeat at Rangers means Celtic cut the gap to three points on the league leaders, with a game in hand on both their rivals.
Read More: Celtic fans call for Kasper Schmeichel to retire after Kilmarnock display.
Sebastian Tounekti ‘absolutely tremendous’ under Martin O’Neill
Tounekti’s strike against Kilmarnock means the 23-year-old has two goals and two assists in his last three games, after previously only having netted twice for the club since his arrival in Glasgow last summer.
His performances on the left channel have led to fans demanding that O’Neill starts the Tunisian in every game from now until the end of the season.
Tounekti was left on the bench at Kilmarnock, with Daizen Maeda preferred on the left flank, despite his poor run of form.
When Tounekti came on, he had the most shots inside the box of any player, the most touches in the opposition box of any player, and successfully completed 50% of his dribbles.
One fan claimed Touenkti “made the difference” in turning the game around, whilst another supporter compared him to Jota.
Read More: Shaun Maloney to play role in next Celtic appointment.
Celtic handed injury blow
O’Neill was without midfielder Arne Engels for the trip to Kilmarnock, with the Belgian set to be out until after the March international break.
Engels could miss up to 10 games for Celtic, including two Glasgow derbies against Rangers, and a Europa League knockout tie against Stuttgart.
The 22-year-old had been a constant presence in the middle of the park under O’Neill, and the arrival of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain now seems even more significant.
Celtic though host Stuttgart next in the first leg of their Europa League clash, with Oxlade-Chamberlain not available for selection.
Engels joins Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston, Jota and Callum Osmand on the sidelines, in a further blow to O’Neill’s options.