Oliver Abildgaard was the player that Celtic put up for media duties, and that is often a clue that the player in question is going to play a part, maybe even start, in the next game. So with Callum McGregor sidelined through injury (and also suspended today after that red card last weekend against Motherwell) Abildgaard is one of three options for the manager Ange Postecoglou to consider as he heads north to Perth this morning.
Will the Dane get the nod or will it go to Australian international Aaron Mooy – Ange recently said while in Australia that Mooy would get the minutes necessary at Celtic to prepare him for the World Cup. Or maybe James McCarthy will get his chance to establish himself as more than a bit-player at Celtic by taking the number six role during the skipper’s absence.
Yesterday, Abildgaard was asked if he’d be the callum McGregor replacement while the skipper is sidelined. “That’s a question for the gaffer I guess,” Oliver replied. “I hope the best for Callum and a quick recovery. If the manager and the coaching staff mean for me to replace him, then I’m happy to do so.
“But we have a strong squad and a lot of different players that can fill in the position, so we’ll wait and see.”
Abildgaard of course was the player who came off the bench in Leipzig when Calmac had to go off. Mooy wasn’t available and didn’t travel after suffering a niggle in training but did train yesterday. The Danish midfielder though was glad to get some serious game-time after four months without playing football but was disappointed with the result.
“First of all, the most important thing was to get the win and we didn’t do that, so it’s hard, but we need to move on from that,” he said.
“From a personal perspective, it was also my first proper game of football in four months, which was a challenge for me. But I know playing regularly is the way for me to reach my top level again, so it’s just step by step.”
He gives his first impressions of Scottish football and talks about watching the recent Glasgow Derby and the game against Real Madrid from the stand where he was blown away by the atmosphere at Celtic Park. You can watch Oliver Abildgaard media conference below…
