Benjamin Nygren should be an undroppable player for Celtic, and it's almost criminal that he isn't.
Nygren was dropped for Celtic's tricky Europa League clash with Benfica during the week, and one would imagine that a manager would want his best players for the trickiest game, but that wasn't the case.
The worst part? It's hard to argue with Martin O'Neill's decision. In part, the decision will have been made to protect a low block that ended up being dysfunctional, with Oliver Sorensen a little more aware defensively than Nygren, which is simply down to how the players play.
But it will also have been down to Nygren's poor form. The Sweden international actually scored last weekend as Celtic defeated Motherwell, but it was yet another game where he struggled to contribute elsewhere in the game.
Nygren is painfully quiet in too many games at the moment, and we know he has the ability to complete dominate games.
Last season, Nygren registered 15 goals in the league, and already on four, he may well get to that number, but it is strange how a player in that number 10 role has so few assists by comparison. Nygren had just five last season, and it's clearly something he is working on, with three already this season.
So, the stats are okay, but in terms of his impact within games, Nygren seems to go missing for much of the game before popping up with the odd goal and assist. That's okay here and there, but this Celtic team doesn't have the quality to live without their best players like Nygren having a big say throughout.
None of this is to say Nygren has been particularly poor, or that he is a player who desperately needs a good performance. He is producing more than most.
But as one of the team's very best players, and knowing what he can produce, we just need to ask more of the Sweden international because we know he is capable of it.
Nygren can be so good that O'Neill never thinks about dropping him, and the fact that he is being dropped for the odd game is a clear sign that he is not playing to the best of his ability.
Celtic can't afford to carry a number 10 who pops up here and there. They need a number 10 who demands the ball and creates danger throughout any given game. Nygren can absolutely be that player if he finds his best form. Let's see it.
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