With Karamoko Dembele's Celtic contract set to expire at the end of the season - and, as yet, the winger being yet to sign a new deal with the Bhoys - there is a growing level of uncertainty surrounding the 19-year-old's immediate future at Parkhead.

Indeed, the England U18 international is yet to play a competitive fixture under the management of Ange Postecoglou - something that has largely been down to the forward fracturing his ankle in pre-season - and questions are starting to be asked as to whether the teenager is a part of the 56-year-old's long-term plans at Celtic Park.

This exact question was put to the Greek-Australian coach prior to Wednesday's Premiership clash against St. Mirren, to which Postecoglou replied: "I hope so. With Karamoko, he's just been really unlucky with injuries.

"In pre-season, I really was looking forward to working with him. People will remember he was on the end of a pretty unordinary tackle which really set him back. But he's worked really hard to get his fitness back. He's now available, we just haven't found the right game to give him an opportunity, but he will get an opportunity between now and the end of the year - absolutely.

"It's also about futures and where they see their futures. I've said all along, for me, this football club is everything that a young player should want. Particularly at the moment - I really want to bring young players into the first team and give them an opportunity. But they've got to be invested in our football club. I'm going to invest time in and give opportunities to people who want to stay at our football club.

"With Karamoko, he's been in the squad the last couple of games. He'll be in the squad tomorrow night. He's obviously missed a lot of football as well so I'm really careful about when I want to put him in. But he'll get an opportunity. He's an exciting young player and the way we play should suit him, so, hopefully, he has an impact and helps us."

As such, with Postecoglou himself suggesting he is waiting for the perfect opportunity to let Dembele loose in the first team, it would very much appear as if tonight's home fixture against eighth-place St. Mirren could well be the ideal game to do so.

Indeed, with James Forrest having failed to find any real level of form so far this season, in addition to Liel Abada having had a game to forget against Hibernian last time out, now would seem to be the ideal time to unleash a fresh pair of legs on the right-wing.

And, should the £2k-per-week forward who Ruud Gullit claimed is an "exceptionally good" talent who "looks pretty special" impress against the Saints, he could well go on to stake a claim as being a starter for Postecoglou over the remainder of the season - an outcome that would undoubtedly delight everyone involved with the club.

In other news: Ange can unearth Celtic's new Rogic in "talented" 17 y/o who "knows where the goal is"