Celtic's Depth Exposed in Loss to LASK

Callum McGregor did not bother dressing it up. Celtic’s captain walked away from Linz knowing a patched‑up side had been ruthlessly exposed, and that the club’s summer rebuild is still short of what a Champions League campaign demands.

Celtic have already pushed close to £30million on Kasper Høgh, Camilo Durán, Haissem Hassan and Mika Baur. Big numbers, big expectations. But as the tie against LASK unravelled and the final whistle confirmed their collapse, the reality of the squad’s depth – or lack of it – was laid bare.

By the end, Martin O’Neill’s line-up looked more like a pre-season experiment than a side trying to see out a heavyweight European qualifier. Liam Scales finished at left-back. Dane Murray and Anthony Ralston were drafted into a makeshift defence. Luke McCowan came on to plug gaps in midfield. Sebastian Tounekti ended the night working the left flank.

It was improvised. It was honest. It was nowhere near the level Celtic want to live at in Europe.

With eight days left before the transfer window closes, McGregor made it clear the job is not finished.

“I think we signed well,” he told BBC Sport Scotland when asked if Celtic had done enough business before facing LASK. The captain did not dodge the uncomfortable follow-up his own words invited.

“Then when you look at the team that finished the game – Scalesy playing at left-back, etc – then there’s still little bits we still need to move forward.”

He chose his next words carefully. This was not a public plea for a specific position, not a grenade lobbed towards the recruitment department.

“That’s not me pinning the blame on anyone else because this is a tie we go 4-0 up in, so by no means is this me saying we need a left-back. That’s not the case.

“But then, every squad wants to be as strong as it possibly can be, and have cover and good players in every position so we’re always pushing each other.”

That last line is the heart of it. Celtic have upgraded in key areas, but the sight of a stretched, reconfigured XI trying to cling on in Austria underlined how thin the margins are when injuries bite and pressure rises.

The message from the captain is simple enough: the starting team can hurt sides, the squad behind it still needs help. Eight days remain to find it.