Odin Thiago Holm's Celtic mindset and three simple words

The Celtic midfielder uttered them on Sky Sports after he started his first Premiership game against Aberdeen last weekend as the Parkhead side ran out easy 6-0 winners. Ironically they will largely determine whether or not the Norwegian features as a regular starter for Celtic moving forward.

The 20-year was hooked after 53 minutes of the match but Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers knows there is a player there lurking in the shadows just waiting to burst forth. Before the Reds game, Rodgers went on to BBC Scotland to extol his virtues: "I genuinely believe that over the course of his time here, he will prove to be a big talent, but he’s got to start some games and this is a nice opportunity for him.

“He’s got all the attributes in terms of being a top player. He needs to get physically stronger in terms of his upper body. But he can travel with the ball, he can see a pass and then he can make the pass. He’s obviously played a lot lower down the pitch in his short career so far. But he has that possibility to play higher up to get in the box and score goals because technically he’s very, very good and he has a nice little edge to him as well where he could put his foot in and make tackles.”

At the end of the match, Rodgers took to the airwaves again to administer a stark reminder to his 'big talent'. It was delivered in the same bullish tone and manner just as he did earlier in the season when he fired a warning shot over the bow and explained why he had benched fans favourite Reo Hatete in favour of David Turnbull.

READ MORE: Brendan Rodgers issues Celtic player with 'need to do more' warning

The 50-year-old said this of Holm: “To be a Celtic player, you need to be talented of course. But you need mental strength, you have to be robust in your mentality. That’s the number one factor for me. It’s like with Odin. We gave him a start and he needs to do more. We said it at half time that if you don’t start then you come off, because there is always someone to take your place. So being mentally strong is important.”

Holm has time on his side but Rodgers truly believes in him and could largely explain why a natural talent is being held to a higher standard. Talent alone won't cut it at Celtic. Consistency in performances will. An end product in terms of 'goals and assists' most certainly will.

Holm's Celtic career to date is already littered with highs and lows; his first start ended in a League Cup defeat to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park; his reckless sending-off in the UEFA Champions League against Feyenoord contributed to a matchday one defeat in Rotterdam.

However, latterly he came off the bench to great effect against St Mirren. It was Holm's invention that cut open the Paisley sides defence as he conjured up a magical winner for Celtic with a superb sleight of foot pass in a crucial 2-1 Scottish Premiership victory for Rodgers' side. It was his his first assist of the season and certainly won't be his last.

Now if we believe in succession planning it is hard not to think that Holm is being groomed as the heir apparent to Matt O'Riley. The Dane of course, signed a new deal with the men in green and white that ties him to the club until the summer of 2027. The midfielder - who has yet to make his first senior appearance for Kasper Hjulmand's Demark 'A' team - has amassed four international games for the U21s and even managed one goal.

The subject of O'Riley's club future raised its head once again this week as he was asked for the seemingly umpteenth time by Danish media about it. The player, rather diplomatically, told Danish magazine Tipsbladet: "I have played in the Champions League against many good teams, and I feel I am ready (to take the next step), but I am already playing for a good team. It's hard to say what is going to happen."

Now the cynic in yours truly reckons that such statements are possibly preparing the Celtic fanbase for a likely move come the end of the campaign. Only O'Riley will know exactly when the time is right to take that next step in his career. However, Celtic hold all the aces here and if and when that does happen and O'Riley leaves - he will do so for a record Scottish transfer fee.

READ MORE: Matt O'Riley's Carlsberg Celtic weekend is a positive sign

This is where Holm comes in. Granted he still has it all to prove at Celtic. What he does have though is the perfect midfield role model in O'Riley. What an opportunity he has to scale similar heights given his skillset. Holm should make it a priority to make his teammate his midfield case study at Celtic.

O'Riley has been nothing short of a revelation since he signed for the paltry sum of £1.5 million from MK Dons in January 2021. He is the Premiership's top goalscorer this season with six goals alongside Parkhead teammates Kyogo Furuhashi, David Turnbull and Rangers defender James Tavernier.

To date, O'Riley has 21 goals and 29 assists for Celtic in two-and-a-half seasons. It is those kind of statistics that have made him one of the most admired talents in European football. Potential suitors can form an orderly queue and Celtic can fully expect said teams to empty their wallets. This is exactly what Holm should aspire to.

There is no doubting Rodgers judgement when he states the player possesses real quality. Now all Holm needs is the consistency in performance to back up the manager's initial thoughts on him. In layman terms, Holm has to do what O'Riley does.

Which is? Three simple words. Goals and assists.