Johnny Kenny axed: Three Celtic fringe players who Wilfried Nancy has to start vs Motherwell
Wilfried Nancy may be about to shake up his Celtic team selection for the trip to face Motherwell on Tuesday night.
The Bhoys survived a major scare to eventually breeze past Livingston with a 4-2 win at the weekend, after the Premiership’s bottom club had twice taken the lead inside the opening 10 minutes.
Nancy’s Celtic side were on the right end of some penalty drama in that clash, as they benefited from a controversial handball incident involving Daniel Finlayson.
Nancy’s men travel to face high-flying Motherwell on Tuesday night, and with the Old Firm derby approaching at the weekend, changes may be a necessity for the boss.
With that in mind, Football Insider picks out three players who are on the fringes of Celtic’s squad who could be set for a rare start in midweek.
James Forrest
Johnny Kenny’s finishing has prompted anger at Celtic of late, as the frontman has squandered golden opportunities in front of goal consistently in recent games.
The Glasgow giants are currently down on options at the top of the pitch amid injuries to Kelechi Iheanacho and Jota, but Kenny’s inexperience has come close to costing them on several occasions.
The 22-year-old needs to be taken out of the firing line by Nancy, and that could prompt a return to the fold for James Forrest, who hasn’t started since the Europa League defeat to Midtjylland in early November.
Daizen Maeda could move into a central role, allowing the veteran Scot to take his place on the wing.
Forrest is vastly experienced and would certainly be a popular selection among the Celtic faithful.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey
Celtic fans were seething with Anthony Ralston for his performance in the win over Livingston, and frustrations have been mounting towards him for several weeks.
The 27-year-old is very much a traditional right-back, who is being used as a right-sided centre-half in Nancy’s system.
Ralston has consistently looked uncomfortable on the ball in recent weeks, and it may be the perfect time for Nancy to switch to a more natural fit in the back three.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has played just one game for Celtic so far this season, and fans have been calling for that to change.
The Manchester City loanee is tipped to have a huge future ahead of him, and with Ralston’s struggles, now might be the perfect time to throw him in at the deep end.
Colby Donovan
Celtic’s recent struggles have seen the fans cry out to see young players given an opportunity, and Colby Donovan is one of those who stepped up and flourished under Martin O’Neill.
The starlet has been used far more sparingly by Nancy so far, but he is undoubtedly the long-term future on the right side of the defence at Parkhead.
Donovan is more than capable of operating in the right wing-back role of the boss’ 3-4-3 formation, and he may be a better option for the Motherwell clash than Hyun-Jun Yang.
The South Korean found the back of the net in the Livingston victory, but with Motherwell likely to pose a much greater attacking threat, having a more natural defender in the position may be crucial.