Celtic have plenty of problems right now. A large number of them are due to the lack of ambition shown by the club over the years. They have been in a constant decline since the departure of Ange Postecoglou as manager. That is because key players from that era have left without being replaced by those with similar quality.
It has taken some time to affect the results. But it looks like it is now starting to do so, and it is hard to see how Celtic can find a way to improve without bringing in some quality talent in upcoming transfer windows.
Of course, that does not mean that Brendan Rodgers has not made his fair share of errors. He most certainly has. And one of them might be not giving a chance to some youngsters even when they are playing well.
The current situation of Colby Donovan might be an example of this. The youngster has impressed whenever given a chance. But now that Anthony Ralston is back to fitness, he has once again struggled for game time.
Brendan Rodgers called out for not playing in-form Celtic player
As reported by 67 Hail Hail, Charlie Mulgrew said regarding the situation of Donovan while speaking on Go Radio:
"Donovan has been unlucky, I think, not to play ahead of Ralston at the weekend.
"I don’t understand that one.
“I thought Donovan had done enough to probably jump ahead of Ralston in the pecking order. Yeah, (he is also very good at crossing the ball).
“If he can’t play now, I don’t know when he is going to play."
That is definitely a question worth asking. Donovan has done well when given a chance and if he is to develop at the top level, he needs to be given more chances.
But it looks like Rodgers is more comfortable playing those he has had in his squad for a while. Ralston falls under that category although it is pretty clear that he has a ceiling and is not going to get much better from here. Donovan might, but for that, he will need to get consistent opportunities.
Alistair Johnston is closing in on fitness as well and when available, he is the first-choice at right-back. Naturally, that will impact Donovan's playing time further and despite his good performances when given a chance, he might be back to square one. That is not how you develop a youngster into a first-team player though.