Ange warns fringe stars
Georgios Giakoumakis set to leave the club in the next 48 hours, Celtic haven’t ruled out more business being done – in either direction.
But as Postecoglou prepared his side for this afternoon’s league clash at Dundee United, he urged all players on his first-team periphery to look at the big picture.
He said: “For the guys not getting opportunities it comes down to them and seeing what the best options are.
“I’m in dialogue with them. It’s not about forcing them out but there is a realism in terms of how much opportunity you’ll get to play.
“These three guys are at an age where the less football they play, the fewer options they are going to have.
“They have to assess what’s best for their careers. We will see what happens in the last days of the window.
“If nothing happens then they are still part of our group and we will work with them accordingly.
“There are still a few days to go and we are always alert. If anything comes up we will see what happens.”
Postecoglou may hand a debut to new signing Oh Hyeon- gyu from South Korean club S uwo n Sams u ng Bluewings against an Uni ted side they routed 9- 0 in August.
The Australian admits he’s desperate to get the new striker involved in the action.
He said: “He has had three weeks’ pre-season training in Korea but hasn’ t played since November.
“So we need to get some game time into him. He has trained well but it has been a big week for him physically and emotionally.
“I’ll assess when is the best time to bring him in. If it’s not the weekend it wil l def initely be midweek. I’m keen to get him involved.”
Celtic have knocked back a loan deal with a promise to buy from MLS side Atlanta United for Giakoumakis.
But Postecoglou insists if the hitman doesn’t exit the club in the next few days then it’ll be business as usual.
He said: “There is still speculation around him. There’s nothing concrete but it’s fair to say there is still interest in him.
“There would have to be agreement among all parties.
“The player needs to want to go to the destination and as a club we must be satisfied that our demands are being met – the interested team need to be happy too. I am pretty relaxed about it.
“If it happens, it happens – if it doesn’t he stays part of our group moving forward.
“I’m sure he will get a chance to contribute.
“There are still a few days to go but with all the speculation around it’s uncertain.”
Greig Taylor, Cameron Car ter- Vickers and Benji Siegrist all come back into the Hoops squad for the trip to Tayside this afternoon.