Maryan Shved’s Celtic challenge has just got harder thanks to Scott Sinclair

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Maryan Shved has played just once for Scottish Premiership champions Celtic so what role does he have under Neil Lennon?

The task facing Maryan Shved at Celtic has just got a whole lot harder.

Rarely has a player arrived at Parkhead under such scrutiny in recent years. Celtic fans weren’t happy when it emerged that the Ukrainian starlet was on his way to Glasgow in a £2 million deal form Karpaty Lviv in January. They needed defenders rather than wingers, the supporters said.

And after a couple of rather erratic performances in pre-season the cynics were sharpening their knives already, baying for blood. The fact that Shved arrived as the reigning Ukrainian league Player of the Year after netting 15 often spectacular goals last season obviously went under the radar.

Yet if Shved wants to silence the critics, he’ll have to wait. An ankle injury means the 22-year-old has been restricted to just one first-team appearance so far, a 20 minute cameo against Kalju Nomme.

And life isn’t getting any easier for one of Brendan Rodgers’ final signings at Celtic. Since he made his last appearance in late July, Mohamed Elyounoussi has arrived on loan from Southampton and made an immediate impact with his speed and work rate while Mikey Johnstone continues to go from strength to strength.

James Forrest has made the right wing position his own, however, and even Scott Sinclair, who looked certain to leave before the transfer window slammed shut in September, appears to have earned a place back in Neil Lennon’s plans.

“Scott Sinclair is still very much part of the squad. We have seen a good reaction from him. He isn’t a sulker and his body language in training is improving all the time,” Lennon told the Daily Record after the former Manchester City winger made a rare appearance against Partick Thistle on Wednesday, scoring in a 5-0 Betfred Cup thrashing.

So what does this mean for Shved, a man who was signed just weeks before Rodgers left and Lennon returned? He’s certainly in an awkward position, fighting for a place under a manager who didn’t sign him at a club who already have a handful of quality wingers on their books.