‘That Is The Reason’ – Celtic Told By Ex-Bhoy Not To Start Star vs Rangers | OneFootball

WM Sport Media/Getty Images

Former Celtic midfielder Peter Grant has told the Bhoys that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should not start against Rangers this weekend.

Earlier this year, Celtic signed former Liverpool star Oxlade-Chamberlain on a free transfer, which ex-goalkeeper Alan Rough dubbed a big gamble for Celtic.

In the summer window, more midfielders were added as Celtic brought in Mika Baur, Oliver Sorenson and Joel van den Berg to provide Martin O’Neill with more options, amid the exit of Arne Engels.

Despite recruiting heavily this summer, last weekend Celtic suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of their rivals Rangers in the Scottish League Cup quarter final, which forced journalist Tom English to change his view on the league title race.

Now O’Neill has to plot how to get the better of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership this coming Sunday.

Oxlade-Chamberlain came on as a substitute in the game against Rangers at the weekend, featuring for 26 minutes and a debate is raging over whether he should start at Parkhead.

It remains to be seen whether O’Neill will tinker with his midfield lineup while facing Derek McInnes’ side again in the span of seven days and former Celtic star Grant believes that he should not start the game with Oxlade-Chamberlain.

He admitted that the 33-year-old has never let the team down but is of the view that pairing him up with Callum McGregor in midfield will help Rangers players to run past them easily as the duo does not have the pace to match their opponents.

He believes that Sorenson would be the right choice, as he would be able to provide Celtic with the physicality needed in midfield to face Rangers.

When asked about why O’Neill should not start Oxlade-Chamberlain against Rangers, Grant said on the Go Radio Football Show (21:15):The reason I am saying that is because exactly it’s Rangers.

“I think Oxlade-Chamberlain has never let the team down, but with him and Callum together, Rangers are going to bypass them.

“They are going to go in to the frontmen and flick and they are going to have runners; that is what they are going to try and do.

“I don’t think that’s their two’s strengths in the respect of that. 

“That is the reason why I think Sorensen’s got legs to do that. 

“He has that physicality about him; along with Callum McGregor, you’ve got [Benjamin] Nygren who has that physicality but never uses it as much as he should.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain featured 12 times for the Bhoys last season in all competitions and he earned praise from former Scotland international Michael Stewart for his performances.

St Mirren assistant manager Stuart Taylor claimed that the 33-year-old midfielder would be crucial to Celtic’s league title run during the last part of the campaign.