Celtic return to action in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night when they welcome Livingston to Parkhead after their win over Dundee in the SFA Cup.
Martin O’Neill‘s side needed extra time to beat Steven Pressley’s men last weekend, after Ethan Hamilton put the away side in front with a screarmer.
A 97th-minute equaliser from Junior Adamu took the game to extra time, keeping the Hoops in the competition, before Sebastian Tounekti’s goal at the start of extra time booked their place in the quarter-finals.
It was a dream debut for Adamu, who joined on loan from Freiburg on deadline day, as he came off the bench to brilliantly flick the ball into the bottom corner from Tounekti’s ball across the box.
The Austria international only scored one goal in the Bundesliga in the first half of the season, but did score 32 goals between the 2020/21 and 2022/23 campaigns, which shows that he does have the potential to be a regular goalscorer.
How Celtic can play Junior Adamu and Tomas Cvancara together
After his goal against Dundee at Parkhead on Saturday, Adamu could be a contender to come into the starting line-up for his Premiership debut against Kilmarnock.
The issue, however, is that Tomas Cvancara has produced a goal and an assist in his first two outings in the league since joining on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach, which means that O’Neill will have to find a way for the two of them to play together.
Adamu has played nine times on the right wing in his club career. He could replace Joel Mvuka, who was hooked 45 minutes into his Celtic career against Dundee, and start on the right, with Cvancara through the middle.
That would then allow Tounekti and Hyun-jun Yang to compete for a starting berth on the left flank, with James Forrest and Mvuka offering support on the right.
Or, O’Neill could keep Adamu as an impact substitute for now and bring him on for Cvancara so that the Hoops have a fresh centre-forward towards the end of the game.
Whether he starts or comes off the bench, the Austrian attacker looks like a promising addition to the squad after his dream debut, and that could be bad news for another Celtic forward.
Celtic forward who must never start again
Now that Cvancara and Adamu have both come through the door and scored their first goals for the Scottish giants, there is a Hoops forward who should never start again this season.
Kelechi Iheanacho joined the club a day after deadline day last summer on a free transfer after the recruitment team were unable to get a striker over the line during the window for Brenden Rodgers.
Unfortunately, the former Manchester City and Leicester City centre-forward has missed out on 19 matchday squads through injury in all competitions, as he has struggled with a hamstring issue.
The experienced forward has only played 32 minutes in 2026, with 22 minutes against Utrecht and ten minutes against Falkirk, and was not involved in the squad against Dundee last weekend.
Iheanacho has shown glimpses of quality, with three goals in ten games in the Premiership and Europa League, but he has not been available regularly enough to provide the team with a consistent source of goals.
On top of his availability struggles, the Nigeria international also struggled to efficiently finish the chances that came his way in his five Premiership appearances for the club this season.
|
25/26 Premiership |
Iheanacho |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
5 |
|
Starts |
3 |
|
xG |
3.36 |
|
Goals |
2 |
|
Big chances missed |
3 |
|
Big chances created |
3 |
|
Assists |
0 |
The 29-year-old marksman has underperformed his xG in the league, scoring twice in five games, and that may be another reason why the Hoops opted to bring two strikers in during the January transfer window.
Celtic could have left it after signing Cvancara and hoped that Iheanacho could stay fit and provide back-up for the Czechia international, but O’Neill also signed Adamu to offer even more firepower.
With these two in the building and already scoring goals, Iheanacho should not start another game for the Hoops between now and when his contract expires in the summer.
The experienced Premier League striker was a worthwhile risk on a free transfer last summer, but it has not worked out for the club, through form and fitness, which is why he should be released at the end of the season.
Between now and then, Cvancara and Adamu can share the workload in the centre-forward position, which means that Iheanacho will not be needed to start again.
Celtic flop is already looking like the club’s worst signing since Ajeti
This Celtic dud is already looking like the club’s worst signing since they paid £5m for Albian Ajeti.