Celtic could do with 11 like him- Chris Sutton makes surprise nomination

Chris Sutton has highlighted the performance of Luke McCowan in Celtic’s 3-1 win over Feyenoord.

For some it might have looked odd to place a left footed midfielder on the right wing but it was a carefully measured move by Martin O’Neill. It was very deliberate. A massive tweak to the usual system.

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McCowan was never going to be nut-megging the Feyenoord left-back or skinning him to reach the bye-line. Turning inside he opened up space for Colby Donavan to do that as demonstrated by the creation of the third goal.

What he did do was give Celtic extra strength in the centre of the park. Reo Hatate turned in his best performance in ages, Callum McGregor dictated the tempo with Arne Engels looking like an £11m Belgian internationalist.

McCowan has barely started successive matches since joining Celtic in August 2024 but Sutton detects a special role for the former Dundee and Ayr United man.

Reflecting on the win over Feyenoord, Sutton told Daily Record readers:

I’m a huge admirer of McCowan – Celtic could do with 11 like him – and he has never let the side down.

Yang had arguably his best game for the club.

You look at the impact it had on the likes of Reo Hatate, who was much more like his old self.

It was almost like a 4-4-1-1 set up and it allowed Hatate to play just off the front – where Daizen Maeda was also like the Maeda of last season.

Everyone knows about O’Neill the motivator. He can cut you in half with one of his quips but he can also make players feel 10 feet tall but don’t overlook his tactical nous either.

Okay, Feyenoord were poor, but it was not a result or display to be sniffed at, and it’s given Celtic hope in Europe when plenty of us were thinking it was time to prioritise the league.

All of the good work from Thursday needs to be carried into the Hibs match on Sunday to create some momentum.

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Hibs away will be every bit as tough and challenging as Feyenoord on Thursday. O’Neill will be prepared and fully motivated for what looks like his second Celtic farewell.

Celtic’s last three SPFL away matches were defeats at Dundee and Hearts followed by a late win over St Mirren.

With a new management team imminent there is very little margin for error.

O’Neill has delivered everything that you could wish for from a caretaker. A role for McCowan and three points on Sunday would round off O’Neill’s tenure perfectly.

Beyond that McCowan and everyone else has a new manager to impress. The first mid-season change in permanent manager at Celtic since 1993.