Brendan Rodgers believes that Eboue Kouassi still has a future at Celtic.
The midfielder has made just one top team appearance this season- in the 1-0 defeat from Hearts on August 11- and failed to make the bench for the Europa League tie with RB Salzburg.
Celtic paid a fee in the region of £2m for Kouassi in January 2017 but so far his hoops career has consisted of just 10 starting appearances.
“His situation is purely down to the level of game Scott (Brown) has played,” Rodgers explained to The Sun.
“Eboue is a specific player. People say he hasn’t played, but maybe him coming in has given Broony the competition as he sees how good Eboue is on a daily basis.
“He’s a defensive midfielder, that’s his speciality. He’s played there since he was a kid and it’s why we brought him in.
“I’ve never thought domestically that we need to have two of those in the same team. It’s always one and the level Broony’s been at has made Eboue’s game-time minimal.
“It’s not all Eboue’s fault. He’s been great in training and obviously has had injuries. He’s just started training again now and will be available after the international break.”
With Youssuf Mulumbu also competing for a place in that area of the park it is difficult to see an opportunity opening up for Kouassi.
Last January he was expected to go out on loan but injuries to Tom Rogic, Stuart Armstrong and Nir Bitton put paid to that plan.
Playing alongside Brown and Olivier Ntcham against Hearts and Zenit St Petersburg at the turn of the year it seemed that Kouassi was about to get an extended run in the team but after the return leg with Zenit he was barely seen again last season.