Martin O’Neill told to make 'public' Kasper Hogh statement in new Celtic twist
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill needs to come out and reiterate his faith in struggling striker Kasper Hogh as quickly as possible.
That is according to former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Danish star needs a “vote of confidence” from his boss.
The Bhoys’ club-record buy is out of form after his £11million summer arrival, and hasn’t scored since his hat-trick against Kilmarnock way back on 9 August.
Wyness believes that O’Neill is confusing matters by asking the 25-year-old to drop deep and link the play, rather than getting him inside the box, where he is at his best.
Celtic have endured a challenging run of form of late, but roared back with an emphatic 7-1 victory at home against Hearts last weekend.
Hogh came on for the last half an hour of that clash, but was unable to boost his confidence by getting his name on the scoresheet.
Martin O’Neill’s Kasper Hogh error in win vs Hearts
Aberdeen’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs – believes that O’Neill should have got Hogh into the action earlier during the win over Hearts.
The former Bodo/Glimt man endured a difficult week, having also been substituted at half-time during the heavy defeat to Benfica in the Europa League.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why he feels that the time is right for O’Neill to back his frontman and start playing to his strengths a little more.
“O’Neill should have put him on earlier, first of all in a 7-1 victory and given him a chance to get that one goal that would make a difference,” he said.
“He’s being asked to drop and link play. That's not what he is. He's a box poacher. He should be in the box. And that's what they've got to do: put him back in there.
“O'Neill's got to come out saying he has complete faith in him. He's got to give him that faith, that vote of confidence, and just keep him in the box. Forget dropping and linking with play. Get in the box and get him a goal or two.
“There's no doubt he's got the ability. He has scored goals against some big teams, so it can be done. But Celtic have got to try and play to his strengths and they've got to get that confidence back, as we know with strikers.
“Martin's got to think about that a bit more. But as I say, when you're winning, as they were at the weekend, it would seem to be the perfect game for him to do it.”
Celtic to ‘consider’ Joel van den Berg move
Football Insider revealed earlier this week that Celtic will “consider” letting young midfielder Joel van den Berg head out on loan during the January transfer window.
The 19-year-old is still waiting for his first involvement in a Celtic shirt, and is very much viewed as one for the future by the club.
However, Van den Berg was still an expensive deal for the Glasgow giants this summer, as they shelled out £3.4m to bring him in from PSV Eindhoven.
O’Neill and Co. are keen to get the starlet regular first-team minutes to avoid stunting his growth, but are also aware that they will need cover if they suffer a few injuries in the midfield.