Strachan glad to see Van on the mend
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan welcomed some positive news on the injury front with the return of striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink against Kilmarnock yesterday.
The Dutchman came on as a second-half substitute against the Ayrshire men at Celtic Park to make his first appearance in nine games since recovering from a hamstring injury sustained against Manchester United in the Champions League in November.
With Bobo Balde, Mark Wilson, Gary Caldwell and Shaun Maloney all out with long-term injuries, the former PSV Eindhoven player’s introduction at the expense of the ineffective Craig Beattie after 65 minutes was a boost to the Hoops boss.
The 28-year-old sparked some life into the champions, who led unconvincingly through a Darren O’Dea goal, and he hit the woodwork as Celtic turned the screw in the final minutes before substitute Aiden McGeady scored a last-minute clincher.
Strachan said: “He’s big, not physically big but as a presence, and players like playing with him.
“Jan makes a difference, that’s for sure, and he had a few chances but unfortunately, due to circumstances, we haven’t had him recently.
“It’s fair play to everybody else for getting on with it.
“We’ve had a few big players missing but they have handled it somehow, not beautifully at times, but we’ve managed it.”
With a commanding lead at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League, Strachan again opted to give Derek Riordan a start on the left-hand side of midfield at the expense of McGeady.
The players swapped places in the 73rd minute when the Republic of Ireland international came on to drive home his late clincher.
Riordan and McGeady are recognised as two of the more skilful players in the Hoops’ squad although it is the former Hibernian player who has played second fiddle for most of the season.
However, Strachan admits he cannot accommodate both players in his midfield at the same time.
He said: “If you have those two, and you’ve also got Shunsuke Nakamura, then it’s not the heaviest midfield you’ve ever seen.
“Even Barcelona wouldn’t have that, so I’ve just got to pick who I think is right.”
Steven Pressley made his Celtic debut as Strachan took the opportunity to rest Stephen McManus and the former Hearts skipper slipped into Parkhead line-up with few problems.
The Celtic manager noted the changed face of his central defence, which had been focused around McManus, Caldwell and Balde in recent months.
He said: “Who would have thought eight weeks ago that we would have Steven Pressley and Darren O’Dea at centre-half? So fair play to them.
“Steven did well because he hasn’t played for five or six weeks.
“He was a bit rusty in the first 10 or 15 minutes but stayed with it and got better. I was delighted to see him playing.”
