Worse than Tounekti? Celtic’s new McGregor is struggling—and nobody’s saying it

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has confirmed that he remains committed to the club after briefly considering his future before the international break. That makes the coming weeks important, because Celtic cannot afford performances that leave O’Neill searching for answers at this stage of the campaign.

His first opportunity to respond will come on Sunday, when Celtic travel to Fir Park to face Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.

Several players will be expected to raise their performances, including Sebastian Tounekti. The Tunisian winger has struggled to provide the attacking impact Celtic expected after arriving from Hammarby for approximately £5m in the summer of 2025.

Tounekti still searching for consistency

Tounekti has made 34 Premiership appearances for Celtic since his arrival but has scored only twice, highlighting the difficulty he has had making a consistent contribution. In the current campaign, the 24-year-old has registered two goals and two assists in 27 league outings.

Former Hoops midfielder Scott Brown recently argued that Tounekti’s end product has not reached the standard required at Parkhead.

However, there is an important qualification to those statistics: Tounekti has started only one league match.

His opportunities have therefore been limited, with several appearances coming from the bench. His league minutes have also been spread across short appearances against Rangers, St Johnstone, St Mirren, Aberdeen, Falkirk, Kilmarnock and Dundee. With Hyun-jun Yang returning from international duty, Tounekti now faces even greater competition for attacking minutes.

Donovan’s difficult spell deserves attention

While Tounekti has attracted criticism, another Celtic player has arguably endured a more concerning run of form without receiving the same level of scrutiny.

Colby Donovan has established himself at right-back this season because of Alistair Johnston’s injury problems. The academy graduate is viewed as a player capable of following the path established by captain Callum McGregor, becoming a long-term Celtic regular after progressing through the club’s youth system.

Donovan started each of Celtic’s latest three defeats, as the Hoops lost twice to Rangers and then suffered a 3-1 defeat against Ferencvaros. Across 260 minutes, he failed to create a chance or a big chance for a teammate.

Numbers expose worrying weaknesses

The statistics from those three matches paint an uncomfortable picture. Donovan won five of seven tackles, which is respectable, but he lost 20 ground duels and 10 aerial contests.

He was also dribbled past nine times and committed nine fouls. Losing 30 duels across three matches is a significant concern for a young defender, particularly when Celtic were already struggling to contain physically strong opponents.

That lack of influence matters because modern full-backs are expected to contribute in possession as well as defend effectively. Celtic need their wide defenders to provide width, support attacks and help create opportunities, especially when opponents sit deep.

Donovan’s inability to consistently deal with opposition attackers has contributed to the team’s problems.

Why Donovan’s struggles matter more

Tounekti has mainly been used as a substitute, meaning he has had limited time to influence matches. Donovan, meanwhile, has been trusted to start and play significant minutes during Celtic’s most difficult stretch.

That distinction makes his recent form more damaging.

If a substitute winger enters matches late and fails to produce a goal or assist, the impact can be relatively limited. A starting full-back who repeatedly loses defensive battles, gets beaten by dribblers and struggles to influence possession can directly affect the result.

Celtic therefore need Donovan to rediscover the defensive reliability that made him an exciting prospect in the first place.

Recent form should not define Donovan

There are, however, strong reasons not to write off the young defender.

His overall Premiership statistics suggest that his recent struggles are not representative of his normal level. Donovan has won 63 percent of his ground duels and 61 percent of his aerial duels in the division this season.

Last term, he won 67 percent of his duels across 14 Premiership appearances. Those numbers indicate that he is capable of competing successfully against senior opponents and should not be judged solely on a difficult three-match spell.

Young players inevitably experience setbacks as they adjust to the demands of first-team football. Donovan is still learning, and facing difficult opponents such as Rangers and European opposition can provide valuable lessons.

The challenge for O’Neill is deciding how best to manage that development. He must give Donovan the opportunity to recover confidence while ensuring Celtic’s defensive problems do not continue costing the team points.

Can Donovan follow McGregor’s path?

The comparison with McGregor is naturally ambitious. Celtic’s captain has been a fixture at the club for more than a decade after coming through the academy, becoming one of the most important players of his generation at Parkhead.

Donovan has a long way to go before he can approach that level, but the potential remains.

If he can study his mistakes, improve his physical duels, become harder to beat one-on-one and offer more going forward, he can still develop into an important Celtic player.

For now, though, it is fair to argue that Donovan’s recent performances have been more worrying than Tounekti’s. The Tunisian’s lack of end product is frustrating, but his limited starts offer some explanation.

Donovan has been given substantial responsibility and has struggled at both ends of the pitch during three consecutive defeats. That makes his form something Celtic supporters should be discussing as O’Neill prepares for the crucial trip to Motherwell.