Cameron Carter-Vickers produced a huge performance for Celtick during their Europa League win over Besiktas on Thursday night.
The Bhoys knew they likely had to win to stay in the competition and did, coming from behind to ultimately win 3-2 at Parkhead against a very good Besiktas side.
The Hoops have struggled in Europe all season, but they produced a very solid performance and were good value for a win, albeit it was a tight game.
One of the reasons Celtic came out on top was centre-back Carter-Vickers, who produced an exceptional performance at the back. The centre-back didn't put a foot wrong and kept Oh Hyeon-gyu quiet.
Celtic were perpahs fortunate to see Dusan Vlahovic miss out through illness, but you play what is in front of you, and Carter-Vickers did just that. The American international has had some doubters.
When he got into hot water over his criticism of Celtic's play during their sticky run before the international break, some pundits suggested Carter-Vickers had been below average himself, which simply wasn't true.
And because of the fallout from that situation, some suggested the defender was expendable, leading to some transfer rumours. But again, that simply isn't true.
Carter-Vickers has clearly been Celtic's most consistent centre-back this season, and the only real black mark on his season was Sunday's defea to Falkirk, which was admittedly a poor performance.
But that was the only one, and when you look at the goals Celtic concede, more often than not it is down to the midfield not closing down quick enough around the edge of the box.
The centre-backs have regularly been exposed by the midfield, but still Carter-Vickers has thrived, and he showed what he is capable off against a very good opponent in Besiktas.
He also showed why he is going to central to any hopes Celtic have of progressing in the Europa League this season.
The only disappointing thing was that Carter-Vickers ultimately had to be replaced due to muscular discomfort, and he will now be a doubt for the Kilmarnock game.
“I thought he was very strong," O'Neill said. "He was complaining about his hamstrings being very tight at half-time and I thought we would give him another 15 minutes.”
Carter-Vickers recently missed a couple of weeks due to a muscle strain, and given Celtic are heavy favourites on Sunday, it would be a surprise to see them risk the defender.
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