Celtic delivered brutal transfer verdict as star wouldn't play for league rivals and another wrecks masterplan

Nicolas Kuhn has been hit with a brutal transfer verdict - as the Celtic winger is told he wouldn't make the Kilmarnock team right now.

The winger signed from Rapid Vienna in January as one of two January arrivals. Recruitment has been lamented at Parkhead this season and Kuhn so far has a solitary goal in his five Hoops outings so far.

He played 22 minutes of the weekend's 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock, which has proven damaging as Celtic now trail Rangers by two points after dropping to second. Kyogo's first half header was cancelled out by a David Watson leveller in second half stoppage time.

Former Rugby Park midfielder and Falkirk man Stephen McGinn has been looking over the game for BBC Scotland. In an assessment of the game, he admitted that Kuhn would be struggling to break into the Killie XI right now as the likes of Daniel Armstrong are ahead of him.

He said: "You felt they really needed to do business. They needed help in the January window. The wingers at the club aren't suited to the way he wants to play. Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada.

"They both did a great job the way Ange Postecoglou wanted to play - the pace, one touch and cross - but there is more control under Brendan Rodgers' game and I feel it is an area of the park they really needed to strengthen.

"I just found the two bits of business they did in January really strange. Adam Idah looks like a promising player with lots of potential. But bringing him to start has probably disrupted the only good bits of Celtic's team this season in terms of the way they finished before the break with the midfield three of [Callum] McGregor, [Matt] O'Riley and [Paulo] Bernardo.

"That is probably where they had the edge over Rangers in terms of the quality in midfield. That's been broken up to fit in Idah. Nicolas Kuhn? When you talk about spending millions on a player to improve a team.

"Kenny [Miller] has been in a million changing rooms and when a signing comes in you think 'Is he going to play for us?' and right away you get a buzz.

"On the evidence so far Nicolas Kuhn doesn't look like he would walk into the Kilmarnock team with how well Danny Armstrong and Matty Kennedy are playing. I can't believe they didn't do serious business in terms of trying to improve the XI. I am not surprised that Brendan Rodgers is sounding really prickly and frustrated."