Former Scotland international Michael Stewart has insisted that Olivier Ntcham was always going to get his opportunities to impress at Celtic despite not being in the scheme of things at the start of the season.
Ntcham did not start the campaign well for Celtic and was in and out of the starting eleven for the Scottish champions.
But the Frenchman has come into his own in the second half of the season and since the winter break has been one of the first names on Neil Lennon’s team-sheet at Celtic.
He has also been in good form and scored in his last two appearances with fans praising his performances for Celtic.
Stewart admits that it must have been frustrating for the midfielder earlier in the season when he was in and out of the team, but thinks he was always going to get a run of games at Celtic at some point due to the number of games the club play.
He believes the challenge for Lennon is now to fit all his top midfielders into the team without disrupting the flow.
Stewart said on the Ladbrokes Social Club: “The start of the season would have been frustrating for him.
“Not playing a great deal, Ryan Christie in exceptional form – he was the main man, you couldn’t just take him out of the team.
“And then inevitably at a club of the size of Celtic, when you have got so many games, he is going to get game time and then there are injuries and suspensions.
“He has had a long run now and you see the response from some of the fans. The manager will recognise that as well.
“There is no doubt that he is a great talent and interesting thing how you are going to fit everyone in the team.”
Ntcham has made 36 appearances for Celtic this season, scoring eight goals and registering four assists.
