Opinion: £5.4m-rated star's return can't come quick enough for Celtic

One player that hasn’t featured for Celtic in the pre-season games that the Hoops have played over the last few weeks is defender Carl Starfelt, who is still recovering from an injury he picked up on international duty back in May.

The player formed a great centre-back partnership with Cameron Carter-Vickers last season, which played a big part in Celtic winning the title, and even though it is only pre-season games, Celtic are missing the 27-year-old’s influence in the team.

The Hoops have found it very difficult to keep clean sheets in the pre-season games that the team have played so far, and in the five games the team has played the Bhoys have conceded nine goals.

The good news is that Celtic haven’t lost any of those games, but conceding so many goals just isn’t sustainable throughout a season. The Bhoys really need the £5.4m-rated defender back in the team as soon as possible.

There is an understanding between Starfelt and Carter-Vickers that doesn’t seem to be there with any other defensive partnerships at Celtic Park. You don’t want to read too much into pre-season games, after all, they are about getting players fully fit for the season, but the Hoops are a much better side when Starfelt and Carter-Vickers are playing together, that was shown on numerous occasions last season.

There has to be a concern that Starfelt will miss the start of the Premiership season, which is less than two weeks away, with the Hoops kicking off against Aberdeen on the 31st of July. That will be a blow for the Bhoys, as he has been very consistent for the majority of his time at Celtic Park. 

Hopefully Ange Postecoglou will soon give a positive update on when Starfelt will make his return to the Celtic squad, as he is that important