Martin O’Neill cannot start Sebastian Tounekti vs Dundee after latest Celtic news

Martin O’Neill must resist starting Sebastian Tounekti against Dundee after his recent performance for Tunisia.

The Celtic star was one of many players to be called up for international duty over the past week as he prepares to take his nation to the World Cup.

On Wednesday, he came off the bench to face Canada as both sides played out a 0-0 draw.

However, his cameo left much to be desired as he struggled to keep hold of the ball and offered nothing in attack.

Below, Football Insider has looked at how this display could shape O’Neill’s team ahead of Celtic’s trip to Dundee on Sunday.

Sebastian Tounekti must remain out of starting XI for Dundee vs Celtic

It is no secret that Celtic’s trip to Dundee is a must-win.

After the defeat to Dundee United before the international break, the Hoops cannot afford any more slip-ups, not just to stay in the title race, but to ensure they can still qualify for the Champions League.

Therefore, O’Neill has to pick the players on form and who can create an impact as soon as they enter the pitch.

In recent weeks, Tounekti has not been able to achieve this and was rightly dropped after the victory over Motherwell.

Now, against Canada, he once again showcased his inconsistencies. In 45 minutes of game time, he did not create one chance or have a single shot.

On top of this, he only completed 56 per cent of his passes, had a dribble success rate of 33 per cent and failed to complete a single cross.

Therefore, while he might have scored the winner against Haiti last week, O’Neill simply cannot take a risk by starting him, and he must remain on the bench.

Could Celtic sell Tounekti in the summer?

Football Insider exclusively revealed that O’Neill did not want to sell Tounekti in the winter transfer window after interest from Hamburg arose.

Reports indicated that the German outfit saw two bids rejected, with one as high as £11.2million.

However, with the winger’s form still not improving, and O’Neill set to depart in the summer, there is every chance that he may be allowed to leave.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if Hamburg would still be interested, or if his recent displays have killed off the chance of a summer move to the Bundesliga.

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