Urhoghide, Shaw and Scales Impress, Celtic 3rd Top Scorers in Europa League

The Celtic team go in to a huddle during the UEFA Europa League group G match between Celtic FC and Real Betis at Celtic Park on December 09, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

And the injuries in recent weeks prove to everyone including crucially this with the purse strings that this Celtic squad is in desperate need of the additions that Ange is desperate to bring in as soon as the transfer window opens. Both Starfelt and Kyogo played pretty much as soon as they arrived in Scotland and that might need to happen again on 2 January if at all possible with the new recruits from Japan going straight into the game against theRangers.

“We’ll need to wait and see what the assessment is. We were maybe going to give Kyogo a bit less time tonight but obviously Albian also got a hamstring injury,” Ange told BT Sports last night after that dramatic, entertaining but ultimately costly victory over Real Betis in the Europa League. See this tweet below and it’s NOT from that Celtic Way, the ones from the Herald / Glasgow Times stable who reckon that Kyogo is a cheat.

“We’re just going through a rough trot that never seems to end but we’ll cope. We’ve had a few injuries but the amount of games we’re playing is just ridiculous to be fair,” Ange added.

“We don’t have the squad to cope with it at the moment. Tonight we got some 90 minutes in some guys that will hopefully help us moving forward.”

Big positives from last night – and there were many – include the performance of some of the fringe players, some of whom had already started to have been written off in some quarters. Urhoghide and Shaw, the two Bhoys signed from Sheffield Wednesday looked particularly impressive as indeed did Liam Scales.

Diego Lainez holds off Osaze Urhoghide of Celtic during the UEFA Europa League group G match between Celtic FC and Real Betis at Celtic Park on December 09, 2021 . (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“Credit to the lads for putting in 90 minutes, especially as quite a few of them hadn’t played for a while,” Ange admitted. “We had to fight hard at times and I’m pleased for the players that they got a reward for their efforts.

“The boys who started and hadn’t played for a while, I told them that’s why they work hard every day. There is a meaning to it and a reason for it and they were a credit to themselves and the club.”

Germán Pezzella of Betis challenges Liam Shaw of Celtic during the UEFA Europa League group G match between Celtic FC and Real Betis at Celtic Park on December 09, 2021 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)