David Turnbull has proved he has the style to influence for Celtic.
And the 23-year-old can keep showing it to ensure he’s got a big part to play in Ange Postecoglou’s next phase at Parkhead. Right now, Turnbull is amongst those having to be patient with competition for places red hot in the engine room. It’s currently as tough an area to forge into as any at Parkhead. With captain Callum McGregor back strong from his injury absence since the World Cup break and Reo Hatate displaying class throughout the season since stepping up again from last season’s impressive form, there’s really only room for one more at this moment in time.
Aaron Mooy has grasped that nettle since Qatar with a string of impressive displays. The Aussie had moved smoothly into a more-advanced role since before even he went away to represent his country in the Middle East, but has gone up the gears since the showpiece with stylish shows and six goals into the bargain.
That has left Matt O’Riley, who was a cornerstone of the midfield playing the anchor role during McGregor’s enforced absence, spending more time as a sub. Tomoki Iwata has now also entered the picture with his transfer from Yokohama Marinos confirmed last month and early suggestions from Postecoglou is that he could be one who is designed more to play in a deeper position.
Alongside O’Riley on the bench has been Turnbull and the pair combined with a free-kick routine which the latter smashed into the net at McDiarmid Park for the fourth goal of the team’s latest success over St Johnstone. It’s not the first time Turnbull has come up with a precise piece of finishing and it seems his talent for making and scoring goals is still burgeoning.
Since Qatar, Turnbull has only started one game, although a red card against Callum Davidson’s team on Christmas Eve didn’t aid his opportunities for more. Yet, when he has been called upon, the former Motherwell man has made a mark.
Turnbull, who signed off before the World Cup with a vital goal in the 2-1 win over Ross County last November when getting a full 90 minutes, got that one start against Morton in the Scottish Cup tie and capped the outing with a typically-stylish finish for a goal.
Before that, he’d come off the bench against St Mirren to lash a wonderful strike into the net for another and made another goal for Giorgios Giakoumakis the match prior to that in the semi-final of the Viaplay Cup against Kilmarnock at Hampden.
Since returning from the suspension dished out for the Saints red, Turnbull has had around 150 minutes on the pitch and nabbed three goals. That's some rate for a midfielder. McGregor and Hatate look nailed-on for spots most weeks and, right now, it’s almost impossible to oust Mooy from the equation given his form.
With games thinning out in the coming weeks due to scheduling of the club programme, a lack of European football post-Christmas for Celtic and also an international fortnight next month, the challenge is just going to get harder. Postecoglou revealed prior to the game at McDiarmid Park that he’s spoken to the likes of Joe Hart, Mooy and Turnbull to get their ideas on the future with contracts set to expire in the summer of 2024.
It’s clear that Turnbull has an important role within the squad, yet playing time is vital for someone at this age and it is going to be a dogfight for a midfield position in the final four months of the campaign, especially with only 13 Premiership matches left, a Final of the Viaplay Cup and potentially just four more in the Scottish Cup if the club makes it to showpiece Final in June.
Postecoglou guarantees game-time to no-one. Nor should he. And he knows there can be disappointed individuals when the team sheet goes up on the board. Speaking immediately after the win in Perth, Postecoglou said: “Everyone wants to play and I understand that as a manager.
“Guys are disappointed not starting, not getting on the pitch or in the squad. I think it is also important you use that disappointment in the right way and contribute when you are out there. It is important because, particularly in this stretch now when we have a game a week, there won’t be the opportunity for guys to get game time. But I know what they’ll do is work hard at training and be ready when they are called up.”
With that in mind, it is now going to be fascinating to see how Turnbull can fare in the midfield fight going into the final stages of the campaign. Scotland boss Steve Clarke will also be eyeing the progress as he starts putting plans together for the Euro 2024 openers against Cyprus and Spain. Just like Postecoglou, the national coach has a wealth of options in the middle of the park with stars such as John McGinn and Scott McTominay available to join McGregor.
However, it’s Celtic which comes first and, despite a lengthy period on the injured list during the second-half of last season, Turnbull proved before the setback he could make an impact in Postecoglou’s opening months in the job. With Hatate, O’Riley, Mooy and Iwata arriving since that initial time, the job is just getting harder But, at 23, Turnbull is nowhere near his peak. And his stylish cameos surely show he can continue to deliver for Postecoglou if he gets the opportunities.
READ NEXT
