Celtic fans will not be ruing the failure to lure Stephen O’Donnell to Parkhead this summer on the evidence of Friday’s heart-breaking 2-1 Euro 2020 qualifying defeat to Russia at Hampden Park.
And after being exposed again and again during a defeat which leaves their hopes of appearing at a major tournament for the first time since 1998 hanging by a thread, the Kilmarnock defender has admitted to the Scottish Sun that he had a game to forget.
According to the same publication, Celtic were hoping to re-sign a 27-year-old right-back who started his career in green and white before making his name at Rugby Park.
By the time the transfer window slammed shut, however, The Hoops had to make do with Hatem Abd Elhamed, Jeremie Frimpong and Lee O’Connor. Unlike O’Donnell, all three are completely unproven in the Scottish game.
But on the evidence of Friday night, Celtic fans will not be gazing wistfully in O’Donnell’s direction with the defender caught well out of position for Yuri Zhirkov’s second half winner in Glasgow. The harshest among you might even call it an own goal from the usually reliable Kilmarnock ace.
“The second goal was on me. I thought we had safe possession,” he said.
“But I have worked with the manager long enough and I know I need to be inside my man. He doesn’t need me to be pushing that high up the pitch and I don’t know why I went that high. That was early doors and we didn’t need to be chasing it that early.
“I was caught high and then their quality in the final third can hurt us and it certainly did. It’s knowing when to go. The manager wants us to stay, but I didn’t. There were times when I was poor on the ball and that is going to happen.”
O’Donnell’s contract expires next summer and, if he recovers and continues to catch the eye for all the right reasons at Kilmarnock, who’s to say The Hoops won’t renew their interest after the turn of the year.
Elhamed might have produced a performance full of character in the Old Firm derby victory against Rangers a week ago but the Israel international needs to prove that he can perform like that every game.
Frimpong and O’Connor, while highly rated on both sides of the Manchester divide, are still yet to make their name at senior level too so the jury is simply unable to come to a verdict just yet.
O’Donnell to Celtic is still a possibility. But, for now, his ability at the top level remains in serious doubt.
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