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Daily Record
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Robbie Copeland

6 Celtic fringe stars who could re-emerge in final days of season to prove point to Postecoglou

It's a case of one last push for Celtic as they look to drive the Premiership title over the line this weekend.

They can't win the league mathematically on Sunday but anything other than a Rangers victory and it looks like sayonara to any title hopes at Ibrox.

Ange Postecoglou insists the pressure remains firmly on until the job is done and the final ball kicked but it's more and more likely the Hoops will have it tied up with a game or two to spare.

And with that comes the luxury of building for next season.

It won't be another summer overhaul but we know there are players coming in - French striker Alexandre Mendy is among those already linked, as is Bodo/Glimt winger Ola Solbakken.

And there will have to be sacrifices made with existing members of the squad set to make way.

For some it already looks as if there is no route back as Boli Bolingoli continues his exile in Belgium.

Others, though, will be praying for a chance one things begin to wind down to propel themselves back into the manager's thinking.

Record Sport have taken a look at six frozen-out stars who will be out to do just that.

Karamoko Dembele

The one-time boy wonder hasn't had the meteoric rise to the top many were expecting.

Injuries have stunted his development and he's barely had a look-in under Postecoglou - with just a couple of sub cameos to his name this season.

With his contract up in the summer it's beginning to seem like he'll be moving on to pastures new.

The diminutive winger is still just 19 though and could yet have a big future at Parkhead if he's persuaded to pen a new deal.

Some late season involvement could give him the taste for it that he needs to buckle in and revive his Celtic career.

Stephen Welsh

One player who looks more secure in his future at Parkhead is 22-year-old defender Welsh.

A regular in the side in the early part of the season, he racked up 21 appearances before the emergence of Carl Starfelt as the partner of choice to Cameron Carter-Vickers left him in the cold.

(SNS Group)

He was brought off the bench for Greg Taylor at Hampden, hinting that Postecoglou sees him as a viable option in a number of defensive positions.

He missed out on the two derby wins prior to that though and it seems likely the Australian will go with his first-choice pairing on Sunday.

After that there is every chance Welsh could find himself back in the frame.

James McCarthy

A rare miss on the list of Postecoglou transfer hits, McCarthy hasn't had the impact most expected since arriving on a free.

He was tipped to bring some experience and pedigree into the engine room but so far the intensity has proven too much for the injury-prone Irishman.

There is time for the 31-year-old to turn it round yet - he still has three years to run on the mammoth contract he penned in the summer.

But he'll have to soon remind the boss why he was brought in or risk being left in the cold for the long run.

Liam Scales

There was a period towards the winter break where it looked as if Scales had really cracked it at Parkhead.

A run of games at left-back suggested he was eyeing up a battle with Greg Taylor for that slot in the starting lineup.

As it's transpired, Taylor has held the role down since January with Josip Juranovic holding the fort at left-back when he isn't available.

The Croatian's injury though does open the door to Scales to start climbing the ladder again - even if only temporarily.

Yosuke Ideguchi

Of the three January J-League arrivals, it's been Ideguchi who has struggled the most to make his mark.

Partly hindered by a gruesome injury suffered against Alloa, he's had to be patient while his compatriots Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate have settled into regular starting berths.

Strength in depth in his position hasn't helped either - Callum McGregor, Tom Rogic, Matt O'Riley and David Turnbull all join Ideguchi and Hatate in the battle for midfield minutes.

He'll be confident his time will come though and some more minutes would help his case, even if they do only come once the pressure is off.

Christopher Jullien

They say patience is a virtue and there is no better testament to that than Christopher Jullien's season so far.

Once one of the first names on the team sheet, a year-long injury layoff put him out of sight of Postecoglou - if not quite out of mind.

In his absence Carter-Vickers and Starfelt formed a formidable duo while Welsh himself emerged as a capable option in the heart of defence.

And the Frenchman has been the victim of that with just one substitute appearance against Raith Rovers to show for his fightback.

He'll be desperate to inch his way back up and having already scored a winner against Rangers, he may well be in Postecoglou's thoughts ahead of this one.

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