Celtic have won three of their games since their return from the World Cup break. After two cagey matches against Aberdeen and Livingston, the Bhoys did show some form against St Johnstone and came out with a 4-1 win. They will look to continue in that manner, when they come up against Hibernian next.
One of the key features of the game vs St Johnstone was the fact that Reo Hatate ended up playing as a right-back in the absence of both Josip Juranovic and Anthony Ralston, and played magnificently. The Japanese star scored a brilliant brace.
But the fact of the matter is that he is not a natural right-back, and thus, Ange Postecoglou would want Juranovic and Ralston back in action as soon as possible.
Yet, it looks like there is a possibility that he could have to rely on Hatate to play as a right-back in the game against Hibernian as well, although Ralston seems to have improved after his recent injury, which is a good sign. As reported by The Scottish Sun, Postecoglou said about the current situation:
"“Josip’s had a slight injury, so we’ll see how he is. It’s unlikely he’ll be available for Hibs, but we’ll see.“Until we set eyes on him, we’ll see what condition he’s in.“We won’t throw him back in unless he’s absolutely ready to go.“We’ll see with Ralston. He improved on Friday and reports are he improved on Saturday.“There’s two days before the Hibs game, so we’ll give him every chance.“We know what Tony’s like, he’ll give himself every chance.”"
Celtic boss gives update on the situation of Juranovic and Ralston before Hibernian game
It is safe to say that there are more concerns around Juranovic at the moment than the slight injury that he picked up at the World Cup.
It is believed that the Croatian full-back could potentially be on his way out of Parkhead in the very near future after catching the eye of some of the biggest clubs in Europe with his displays at the World Cup.
Let’s see how things transpire, with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and several other top clubs being linked with Juranovic.
Ralston has done a good job at right-back when given the chance, while the club have also signed Alistair Johnston recently. And with Hatate showing his ability to play there as well, Celtic might be covered in case of a Juranovic exit.