Celtic's recruitment in recent times has raised a lot of questions. It is one of the primary reasons why the club have deteriorated over time. Contrary to popular belief, there has not been a lack of activity, albeit a lot of it at the last-minute. The real issue has been the quality of the additions that have been made. Or, the club's inability to handle it.

Just take a look at the centre-back situation as the perfect example of this. Celtic signed Jahmai Simpson-Pusey on loan from Manchester City, but he was never given a real chance to show what he was capable of.

Simpson-Pusey's loan was cut short in the winter. He joined FC Koln and is now getting consistent playing time in the Bundesliga. It is hard to understand why he made just one appearance over half-a-season at Parkhead. His stint in Germany shows that he was more than good enough to have a decent backup role for the Hoops.

On the other hand, Celtic replaced Simpson-Pusey with another young centre-back, struggling for playing time in the Premier League. They brought in Benjamin Arthur from Brentford.

The move came a bit out of the blue. And just like Simpson-Pusey, Arthur has struggled for game time at Celtic. He has made just one appearance since joining the club, and that was a cameo off the bench after Auston Trusty got sent off against Hibernian.

That has not stopped Martin O'Neill from predicting big things for Arthur's future. According to 67 Hail Hail, the Celtic manager said: “My genuine belief about Benji is that he will be, in the very foreseeable future, a Premier League player. Definitely.”

Well, it is good to see O'Neill have that kind of belief in the defender. It is curious why the youngster has not been given more chances, if the manager believes he will develop into a Premier League player one day.

Of course, the circumstances might have played a part in that. It is easier to give a chance to youngsters like Arthur, if the scoreline is comfortable and the Hoops can afford to take their foot off the gas.

That has rarely been the case for Celtic in recent times, as they have either won narrowly and late, or lost to VfB Stuttgart and Hibernian. Naturally, O'Neill has not had many opportunities where he can take a few risks.

There might be an opening for Arthur in the upcoming weeks with Trusty set to serve a ban due to his red card. Let's see if he sees increased playing time.

Dane Murray played the full game and kept a clean sheet against Stuttgart away in Germany. So, he is likely to get the nod ahead of Arthur, if it ends up being a pick between the two youngsters.

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