Collins talks about Allan and Christie’s lack of game-time

John Collins has insisted that Scott Allan and Ryan Christie will get playing time this season.

Both players have yet to make their first start in a Celtic shirt since signing in August last year.

This is more of a problem for Allan, and Christie only rejoined the side last month as part of a contract clause with Inverness CT and has made two brief substitute appearances since.

Allan has made 11 appearances from the bench and is yet to break into the first-team, leaving fans frustrated due to the capability he has shown when on the field.

Collins, however, believes both will get a chance and it’s up for both players to take it when presented to them.

As quoted by the Daily Record, he said:

I would expect both of them to feature between now and the end of the season and that’s the challenge for them.

They have to wait for a chance and when it comes they have to take it by playing well.

Ideally you want people to develop every week and sit the test but when you are not playing then the test is to train well.

He (Allan) is playing against better players in training than sometimes he’ll face in matches.

Collins is aware that every player is eager play, but with 23 players training at Lennoxtown yesterday, and the only absentee Jozo Simunovic, it makes it tougher on the new Bhoys to break into the team.

Ronny Deila has stuck with what he’s familiar with so far, and a formula that worked last year and up until this point in the league.

Christie and Allan have both impressed in recent development games, as has Patrick Roberts and Aidan Nesbitt before them.

In order to break into the first-team however, players must show a spark that Kieran Tierney showed last season in order to make the leap from the development squad to the first-team.