Carl Starfelt has come under fire for his early efforts at Celtic, but Ange Postecoglou feels it is still too soon to judge the defender or Cameron Carter-Vickers, via the Glasgow Times.
Postecoglou brought Starfelt to Parkhead from Rubin Kazan for £4.5m in July and loaned Carter-Vickers from Tottenham Hotspur in August. He tasked the pair with helping to rebuild the Bhoys backline after Kristoffer Ajer’s departure for Premier League Brentford.
Starfelt had no time to settle in Glasgow before starting their Premiership opener at Hearts alongside Nir Bitton. Postecoglou notes the number of faces the 26-year-old has lined up beside has also played a part in the Sweden international not hitting the ground running.
Likewise, Postecoglou handed Carter-Vickers his Celtic debut at the first available chance following the September international break. He has also started all nine possible games across all competitions, while Starfelt has opened each of his 17 appearances.
Postecoglou backs Starfelt to deliver more for Celtic
Postecoglou believes early criticism of Starfelt’s performances for Celtic are incorrect as he adapts to his new surroundings and teammates. But the Bhoys boss adds he feels there is still more to come from the four-cap enforcer. While Postecoglou additionally notes Carter-Vickers and Starfelt have both shown they want to improve during their time with Celtic.
“I felt for Carl because we threw Carl in, and I think he had three or four different centre-halves as partners and he was new himself,” Postecoglou said. “People were judging him on what they saw. I knew there was more in him, and I still think there is.
“Cam we just threw in. We signed him on Deadline Day and virtually threw him into the first-team. The good thing about Cam is that he’s a real calm character. He’s mature beyond his years – even though he’s fairly young, he has settled in really well.
“The key for both of them is that they want to learn. They want to develop [and] they want to improve every week. They’re coming in, sitting down with coaches doing the analysis and I think they’re getting confidence from that.”
Postecoglou has paired Starfelt with Carter-Vickers the most during Premiership fixtures since their respective transfers to Celtic this summer. The pair have featured five times together so far, while Starfelt has played with Stephen Welsh on three occasions.
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