In a pretty quiet summer transfer window at Celtic, the arrival of Olivier Ntcham from Manchester City was an undoubted highlight. The saga of Patrick Roberts may have dominated the headlines, but for supporters, the club laying down a reported £4.5m for a French U21 international really caught the imagination. Was this the quality, classy midfielder they had been crying out for, for years?

The answer to that question is so far unknown.

It's almost three months to the day since the Frenchman made his competitive debut for Brendan Rodgers' side, making 14 appearances in all competitions, with 12 starts. That's more than established talents like Stuart Armstrong and Callum McGregor, with Rodgers definitely showing faith in the 21-year-old even this early in his Celtic career.

In that time he's shown both significant potential and worrying faults at all levels. From the highs of his performance at home to Astana to the awkward showing against Dundee just this past weekend, fans have seen a player who, while capable of greatness, hasn't quite hit his stride in a Celtic shirt in a way that gives great confidence.

Final judgements are of course silly to make this early in the season, but one thing is clear, his role in the Celtic team has not yet been defined and he's at the stage of the season where he needs to step up his performances, focus his game and become the signing fans hoped he would be.

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A confusing start

The problem with Ntcham's more frustrating performances so far, like the the recent match against Dundee, is that he seems to find games passing him by, not imposing himself on the action, often far too casual on the ball and in the absence of all that not exactly providing a defensive presence to proud of. He ultimately found the winning goal at the weekend, but it was a rather confusing performance overall.

When at the top of his game, his vision to pick out runners and teammates ahead of him is unquestionable. In fact, he seems to pull off the harder pass far more often than the simple square balls to defenders or his midfield partner.

His role in Leigh Griffiths' goal against Anderlecht, sliding the ball through to Kieran Tierney, and James Forrest's goal against Astana, raking a ball forward that took out an entire midfield, were perfect examples of him seeing the key pass that can be incisive at UEFA Champions League level. His quickness of thought to take possession of the ball and quickly advance it into dangerous areas is something no-one else appears to have in the heart of the Celtic midfield.

So far though, that's been inconsistent and when not offering contributions like these he can weigh down the Hoops' midfield rather than elevate it. In the group stage games of the Champions League, especially against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, he's looked hesitant on the ball, giving up the ball in needless situations and generally adding a nervousness to the Celtic performance that leads to chances for the opposition.

It's something that needs ironed out of his game quickly, perhaps the kind of thing that simply comes with experience, it's easy to forget he is just 21. No-one is expecting him to out perform world-class opposition, but supporters want to see him offer something more combative than making basic errors and giving the ball away cheaply.

Moving forward

If you were to lay a bet on which way his Celtic career will go, you'd expect the former City man to make a success of his time at Celtic, he has too much natural talent to say otherwise.

In the short-term though, it feels like a risk to play him in what will be physical high-stakes encounters at Hampden against Hibernian and away to Aberdeen over the next week. Celtic will need energy, graft and a more direct nature in the heart of the midfield if they're to overcome these challenges. Turning to Stuart Armstrong or Callum McGregor, partnering Scott Brown is the way to go in these matches, aided by the creative focal point that is Tom Rogic.

Rodgers needs to find what Ntcham's strengths are and have him focus on getting those right in matches, before he gets further watered-down in the manner of his most recent three games. Give him the license to make penetrating forays forward, allow him the freedom to be more direct with longer balls forward, at the moment he appears hesitant to do either resulting in frustration for both the player and supporters.

In the meantime, a few matches on the bench and he'll be bursting to prove himself again and show what he can really offer, perhaps kick starting a burst of form that can carry into the New Year.

The talent is there, it's simply about applying it in the right fashion.