Odin Thiago Holm has had a stop-start beginning to his Celtic career.
Joining the club as Brendan Rodgers’ first signing of his second spell as manager, there were high hopes for the Norwegian talent, with his Golden Boy nomination this year proof of that excitement surrounding the 20-year-old midfielder.
Following a great cameo appearance against Ross County on Flag Day, he continued to impress away from home at Pittodrie, where he replaced the injured Reo Hatate for the final portion of the game. This, plus a stellar tackle at the end of the Glasgow Derby ensured that Holm was fondly in the psyche of both the manager and the supporters as a viable midfield option.
Recently, however, Holm has found game time hard to come by, for several reasons. Firstly, his studded challenge in the Champions League match against Feyenoord forced him to be suspended for the next game, and an injury picked up has meant that he has been unable to make the last few matchday squads.
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That changed on Wednesday when he made the bench against St Mirren in Celtic’s 2-1 win over the Paisley side. Coming off of the bench in the second half, Holm was pivotal in the make-up of the winning goal, as he provided the assist to Oh Hyeon-gyu, his fellow substitute on the night.
Following an accurate pass into his path by Kyogo Furuhashi, the Norwegian took a few touches before shimmying on the ball, leaving the opposition defenders bamboozled. He completed a disguised pass with the side of his foot with precision, finding its way to Oh, who was only too happy to apply the finishing touch with a stunning finish into the roof of the net.
This cameo appearance should guarantee Holm some game-time this Saturday against Ross County up in Dingwall. With Hatate out for the next few months, the team will be missing his guile, agility and ability with the ball at his feet. Despite Paulo Bernardo, David Turnbull and Tomoki Iwata all competing for the spot that the Japan international has vacated, it should be Holm who gets the nod tomorrow afternoon. It could very well be the breakout game for the talented midfielder.
Join Ryan McGinlay and Aidan Macdonald below on Friday’s edition of the morning briefing, as they discuss the latest news and developments surrounding the club.
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