Martin O'Neill has confirmed the real reason why Tomas Cvancara missed Celtic's 6-2 win over St Mirren. The Czech was nowhere to be seen, with Junior Adamu and Kelechi Iheanacho being the named strikers in the matchday squad over him.
O'Neill was asked before kick-off if the striker was missing out through injury. He said: "No, he's not injured. We have a couple of players, Scales is suspended for a start, so big Benji Arthur comes in there.
"Arne Engels starts in the game, it's just a manner of, if I can call it, slight rotation."
The omission seems like the beginning of the end for Cvancara, with the striker only managing to find the net twice in the hoops. With just two assists, no statistic really stands out, and his performances have been very lacklustre.
Iheanacho managed to get himself a brace in just one 15-minute half at Hampden when he came on, staking his claim to start. With him seemingly having found his fitness and clearly being able to score goals when called upon, it could be worth giving him the chance to start in the split.
Cvancara won't be winning that contract
Cvancara has been desperate to secure a permanent contract at Celtic. Ever since joining, he has said how he wants to prove himself enough to be signed. However, he has yet to do that, and time is quickly running out.
Unless something changes, he will be returning to his parent club, Borussia Monchengladbach, at the end of the season. He has been yet another unconvincing option signed by Celtic, and because he hasn't managed to hit the ground running, the club are going to need to do a lot of work in the summer.
Some options are already lined up, with scouts being sent out to keep an eye on certain players; however, nothing is concrete yet. Cvancara will understandably be upset about being left out of the weekend's squad, as it means his transfer is almost certainly not happening, with no reports revealing club interest.
At this point, it's clear that the Czech is being pushed aside by the manager. He has questioned his goal output at times, and this is him making another public statement. Although he'll want to fight for his place, he is showing nothing in the minutes that he is given, making it harder by the week to continue playing him.
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