A couple will go- Kennedy reveals where he expects Celtic exits to come from

At least one central defender will be moving out of Celtic in January as well as Nat Phillips who is on loan from Liverpool.

The size of the squad has become apparent over recent weeks with summer signings struggling for game time and often to make the substitute bench on matchdays.

Liam Scales has been a constant presence in defence since August, mostly alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers but in midweek against Feyenoord he was partnered by Stephen Welsh for 75 minutes before Gus Lagerbielke’s dramatic appearance.

At £4.3n from Lech Poznan Maik Nawrocki was the most expensive summer signing but speaking at today’s media conference John Kennedy admitted that it was one area of the squad where he expected to see departures.

About the centre-back situation with Carter-Vickers coming back into full fitness now, you have as many as six or seven centre-backs. How do you view that, and do you think there will be a primary pairing that will emerge? Scales has played really well so far this season. Cameron’s been here for two years and has been brilliant. What do you see?

It’s a position where we have a lot of players. In January there’s going to have to be a couple that will go and get game-time elsewhere and trim the squad down a little bit. If anything, we’re carrying a lot of numbers, so there will be a lot on the periphery who we just need to go and get game-time or maybe move on. Everyone will have their own agenda on that. 

Yuki Kobayashi looks certain to return to the J-League in January but it looks like two from Welsh, Nawrocki and Lagerbielke will remain as competition and back up for Scales and Carter-Vickers.

Tomorrow’s team-sheet should give an indication of who will be remaining next month with Welsh and Lagerbielke having made strong cases to remain involved following their call ups against Feyenoord.