Loved this from Ange yesterday, he was asked what does the new signing Oliver Abildgaard do for the variety and balance in the midfield for the season? Ange’s deadpan answer was superb…
“Firstly and it is no secret he brings a bit of size to our team. Most of our side would struggle to get on the rides at Disneyland and Gavin Strachan is pretty happy in terms of set-pieces that we can get some size in there.
“It wasn’t just about bringing in another big body it was about the fact that I like that he plays that single pivot really well when he needs to. He can also play in a double and he’s effective going forward and he can provide a shield in front of the team.
“If you look at other midfielders they probably don’t have the same attributes but there is a commonality within all of them and that is they can fit into the kind of football we want to play and they just bring the qualities that they possess into it as well.”
Ange had earlier in his Media Conference ahead of today’s lunchtime kick-off against theRangers outlined his thoughts on bringing in the Danish giant from FC Rubin Kazan.
“I am pleased to get Oliver over the line. It happened late in the piece and we had some moving parts in terms of ins and outs. We got opportunities for guys elsewhere and I was mindful of squad numbers.
“I had a clear idea of what I wanted to work with and things came together. We were able to get Oliver in and that was the last piece of business for us. It was great to get him in. He’s a player who is a little bit different to what we have already got here in terms of his attributes.
“He is a top pro and everyone I have spoken to about him from a character perspective has said he is an outstanding person as well as an experienced and good player. I think he will fit in well with us. It just rounds off our squad and coming out of the window now I think it is strong enough to compete on all the fronts that we need to,” the Celtic manager stated.
But today comes too soon for Oliver Abildgaard to make an appearance in the Celtic squad, so Celtic’s giant midfielder will be sitting in the comfy seats taking it all in and getting his first taste of Paradise. That has been a long time coming for the player who as a young boy was given a Celtic shirt for his birthday!
Yesterday Ange was asked if Oliver Abildgaard will go straight into the squad for today’s match and replied: “No. Oliver will need some time as he has only had one session with us. We are in a better position than we were last year when we were throwing guys in.
“We’ll let him get settled and see where he is at from a physical perspective and make our decisions along the way. Squad wise everyone is okay after Wednesday night’s game and I will make my decision teamwise tomorrow.”