Barry Ferguson has defended Ange Postecoglou 's sluggish start at Celtic due to the on-going injury crisis at the club.
A home draw with Dundee United is the latest poor result for the Australian with the Parkhead outfit sitting sixth in the Premiership table.
Despite this, Rangers icon Ferguson reckons Postecoglou should be cut some slack because of a lengthy list of absentees.
Captain Callum McGregor, stand-out Kyogo Furuhashi and talisman James Forrest are among a host of talent missing from the Celtic Park dressing room.
They also lost Josip Juranovic to injury during the game and it remains to be seen if he will be back to face Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday.
However, Ferguson told The Go Radio Football Show that Celtic should have had enough to see off United, but believes the injury issues are plaguing the side.
The Alloa boss said: "At the start, everybody was talking about how they are playing, but at the end of the day Celtic fans want wins and they are struggling to get that.
"Look, he is missing two or three key players. Kyogo had an unbelievable start to his Celtic career. He looks a great addition. He is a big miss. James Forrest is a big miss too.
"The biggest miss for me is the captain, Callum McGregor. He has been missing the last few games and it's shown.
"All that aside, they should still have a strong enough squad to be winning games of football."
Responding to a caller who claimed the injury list shouldn't impact on form, Ferguson said: "You are going to miss quality players. McGregor, Kyogo; they are massive misses, I don't care what anybody says.
"It's up to the players when they are out to step up, but Kyogo and McGregor are massive misses."
