Celtic have numerous problems in their club right now.

First and foremost, the manager is struggling and is facing increased pressure after a disastrous week that saw the Hoops lose 4-1 to Sparta Prague.

In the process, they were dumped out of the Europa League after a number of poor performers.

On the chalkboard

One of the worst displays on the night was from veteran midfielder Scott Brown.

The 35-year-old struggled with the pace of the game and looks incredibly out of sorts right now. He had just 40 touches of the ball – the lowest of any Celtic player – and made just one tackle.

Furthermore, Brown was at fault for the opening goal. He was outmuscled and tossed aside like a piece of garbage having failed to clear the ball from a corner.

With that performance in mind, and indeed how his season is panning out, there is a case for him to be dropped from Lennon’s side.

So who could come in and replace him?

The solution

The man we think who should come in and make an impact in the middle of the park is David Turnbull.

Of course, the midfielder is currently in isolation having been diagnosed with COVID-19 so will miss the League Cup clash against Ross County, but once he is fit and healthy again, he simply has to be considered.

The 21-year-old was a target for Celtic in 2019 and then finally signed for the club this year. However, since putting pen to paper he has started just once in the SPFL.

For a player of his talent, it’s rather surprising.

Last term, Turnbull sat out the vast majority of the campaign after requiring knee surgery but he made a devastating impact for Motherwell in 2018/19, registering 23 goal involvements.

Now, he is a very different player to Brown because he generally gets further forward but that is certainly no bad thing, especially with Callum McGregor beside him. Although he likes to drive forward he is also capable in the defensive third, producing 1.2 tackles per game this term.

At the moment, Turnbull is being wasted, especially when the manager rates him so highly. After signing, Lennon commented: “We’ve had a look at him over the last few games and he’s got a real touch of class about him, which is a rarity in the modern game.”

Thus, he needs to be unleashed by the boss and given a lot more game time.

In other news, one Celtic player failed his BIG audition to Neil Lennon on Thursday...