Celtic’s Strengthened Attack with Høgh and Mheuka
Martin O’Neill will take a stronger hand into Celtic’s next outing – but he knows he’ll be without one of his most relentless performers just as the season begins to bite.
Høgh and Tierney hand Celtic a timely lift
Kasper Høgh has returned to full training over the past couple of days and is pushing hard for involvement, with O’Neill admitting the striker is the likelier of his returning players to feature. Kieran Tierney has also stepped back into work with the squad, offering a significant boost on the training pitch and a fresh option as matchday approaches.
There are, as O’Neill put it, “a couple of other fitness issues for players”, the kind of early-season niggles that complicate selection. But for once, he can look at his forward line and see genuine depth rather than gaps.
The Celtic manager is particularly intrigued by 18-year-old striker Bailey Mheuka. He has no interest in overhyping a teenager, but he did not hide his belief in the youngster’s potential.
“I expect him to do well. He looks a player,” O’Neill said. “I wouldn’t want to be throwing a host of accolades in someone’s direction if they’re not up for it, but I think he’s definitely capable.”
Attack transformed from last season
O’Neill was blunt about the contrast with last year. Then, he spent too many weeks staring at his team sheet and asking himself where the goals would come from. Now, with Høgh, Mheuka, Camilo Duran and Callum Osmand in the mix, he sees a very different picture.
Celtic, he insists, “definitely have better options up front than we had last season”. It is not just numbers. It is variety. Different profiles, different ways to hurt teams. For a manager who admitted he was once “wondering where the goals were going to come from”, the shift feels significant.
Yang’s absence leaves a hole
The good news in attack is tempered by the loss of one of Celtic’s most industrious wide players. Yang Hyun-jun will miss the next four games while on Asian Games duty with South Korea, and O’Neill made no attempt to downplay the impact.
He called Yang a “big miss”, then spelled out why. The winger has been “playing exceptionally well for what he does with the ball”, chipping in with “a couple of very important goals”. Just as important, in O’Neill’s eyes, is the work that rarely makes the highlight reel.
“What he’s doing without the ball, I don’t think anybody could question his workrate,” the manager said. “He’s been great since I’ve come in here. I think he’s just responded to a bit of encouragement.”
Celtic will now need to replace not only Yang’s direct threat, but his tireless pressing and defensive shifts down the flank.
Johnstone pushing to be number one
At the other end of the pitch, Joe Johnstone’s determination has caught O’Neill’s eye. The goalkeeper has made it clear he wants to be Celtic’s first choice, and his manager welcomes that ambition.
O’Neill described it as “really pleasing” that Johnstone is targeting the number one jersey, reminding everyone that “it’s not that long ago he was involved with the England squad”. The keeper has, he says, looked “really good in training”, and O’Neill is already thinking about when to hand him a start.
“At some stage he will get into a game because it will be necessary for him,” O’Neill said, hinting that rotation between the posts is not a matter of if, but when.
Respect for Valakari’s St Johnstone
Before that, there is the immediate test: Simo Valakari’s St Johnstone. O’Neill has been impressed by what he has seen from the Perth side and expects a team that will come to play, not simply sit in.
He called them “really talented” and praised their approach. “It’s nice to see them. They want to play football as well and they’re committed. There’s a vitality about them which is very encouraging.”
To O’Neill, they are “not dissimilar in many aspects to what Craig McLeish is doing at St Mirren” – organised, energetic, and confident enough to impose their style.
So Celtic head into the fixture with sharper options up front, a hungry goalkeeper eyeing his chance, and one of their hardest-working wingers temporarily out of the picture. The tools are there. The question now is whether this refreshed Celtic attack can turn promise into the kind of ruthless consistency that defines a season.
