Brendan Rodgers must drop Celtic’s Mikael Lustig for Cristian Gamboa

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Mikael Lustig endured a miserable night as Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers.

It seems to have started to baffle Celtic supporters somewhat over the last few months that Brendan Rodgers seems so reluctant to hand Cristian Gamboa a run in the Hoops side.

Gamboa endured a difficult start to life with the Bhoys, and for much of his spell, it did appear that he would probably leave without getting the chance to prove that it was wrong to write him off entirely.

However, the 28-year-old has impressed the fans with his attitude and he has hardly put a foot wrong when he has been given a chance by Rodgers. Therefore, it would surely be fair to suggest that it would be a baffling move from the Celtic boss if he decided to keep faith with Mikael Lustig as his first-choice right-back.

Lustig has been an incredible servant for the Bhoys, but his form appears to have dipped considerably in the last few months and his performance in the second-leg of their Champions League tie with AEK Athens this week left many supporters feeling that he needs replacing as soon as possible.

The 31-year-old looked off the pace and could arguably have questions asked about him for both of the goals that Celtic conceded in Greece.

If Rodgers has the same thought that it is time to replace Lustig, he may decide to try and use the transfer window to bolster his options. But it could be argued that Gamboa deserves a chance to enjoy a run in the team to prove that he can step up.

The Costa Rica international probably went into this campaign with a lot of confidence having impressed at the World Cup, so there is probably no better time to drop Lustig and hand Gamboa that chance he is yet to receive.

Rodgers cannot shoulder all of the blame for Celtic’s current issues of course, but if he continues to keep faith with Lustig without handing Gamboa an opportunity, he is perhaps asking for trouble as the Swede’s form has arguably been alarming for a while now and his performance on Tuesday acts as another warning sign.