Viljami Sinisalo has all the key attributes to succeed at Celtic after being handed the John McGinn seal of approval.
The Finland international could be set for a run in Brendan Rodgers’ side with the club anxiously awaiting news on No.1 Kasper Schmeichel, who suffered a shoulder injury on international duty with Denmark and is poised to hear for the results of his scan.
That could present Sinisalo a shot in the team with big games to come at Ibrox against Rangers and the Scottish Cup semi-final and potentially the Final in awhat is a hugely important end of the season as the Hoops bid to secure a domestic Treble.
Schmeichel’s absence may come as a worry to some fans, but McGinn’s assessment of the shotstopper – who he worked with at Aston Villa – may put supporters’ minds at ease. Stephen McGinn told Go Radio: “I think he performed really well before the Euros for Finland at Hampden Park. I know from when he signed for Celtic that John [McGinn] spoke highly of his attributes.
“Probably wasn’t quite ready to be the Celtic goalkeeper. It might work in terms of Kasper Schmeichel. I think he will play one more season and the timing might work.
The bit is for Celtic now is that game at Ibrox and the Scottish Cup. If you are Aberdeen or Hearts you are looking for any sort of weakness because it is easy to say it is Celtic’s Treble. You still have to go and do it.
“No disrespect to St Johnstone but I think it will be Celtic vs Aberdeen or Hearts and they will be thinking any small thing like Kasper Schmeichel having an unbelievable season, such a big figure for Celtic, can only be a positive for them.
Meanwhile, Maik Nawrocki’s former mentor has questioned whether his move to Celtic came too soon.
The defender was handed an unexpected start in the derby defeat to Rangers before the international break with boss Rodgers making a beeline for him in the dressing room after to praise his display – despite the defence losing three goals in a five-goal thriller.
He headed to Parkhead from Legia Warsaw for £4.3million but things haven’t gone to plan with the stopper down the pecking order behind Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty and Liam Scales while Dane Murray is on the books as is Stephen Welsh, who is out on loan.
Speaking to the Scottish Sun, Former Legia Warsaw boss Kosta Runjaic, who set him on his way, said: “He was an important player for me. Maik was a young player back then and he played a lot of games for us.
He is a good, technical player. He passes the ball very well, he is good with his head in defence and offence, which makes him really dangerous for opponents.
“I also thought he had good, solid speed. Overall, Nawrocki was a very important player for that Legia team.
“He scored four or five goals and we won two titles. You have to ask Celtic why it hasn’t worked out for Maik there so far. I honestly don’t know why. It is nearly two years now since he left Legia.
Celtic scouted him, they analysed him — and saw him as a player with real potential. I saw Maik the same way, someone who could get better.
“Celtic is a top-level club and maybe the move was too fast for him, I don’t know. Nawrocki is a boy with good character, and with his qualities he can still do well there.
Across the globe, Luis Palma was on target for Honduras as he helped seal a spot in the Gold Cup. The winger is currently away from Parkhead at Greek giants Olympiacos after struggling for game time with Daizen Maeda, Nicolas Kuhn and Jota all ahead of him in Rodgers’ plans.
Speaking after the win over Bermuda, Palma said: “I have to thank God for the victory and qualification. I’m happy for the group, which was under some pressure.
“We secured the win and qualified, but it wasn’t as easy as many believe. We came into the match feeling relaxed.
They were under pressure to come back. The two goals helped us seal the series, as we had to win, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
Elsewhere, Murdo MacLeod has named Callum McGregor as a leading contender for the Celtic Player of the Year gong.
Maeda and Kuhn have hogged most of the attention but the skipper – who has hit nine goals this term – has caught the eye and while the others may be grabbing the headlines, the influential midfielder is the one who makes the team tick.
MacLeod said: “Callum is different to any other Celtic player. He’s the one who goes and gets the ball and gets it moving. He is the one who is always in control. I’d say McGregor is Celtic’s player of the season. Others might get some of the headlines but he is the one who makes the team tick.
“A lot of these players maybe play for an hour or come off towards the end. But McGregor goes for 90 minutes, week in, week out.
He’s also added a lot of goals this season. I always feel more comfortable when he is in the middle of the park, and you could say his absence was one of the reasons they lost to Rangers.
