The revealing stat that explains Albian Ajeti's limited impact in Celtic's title tumble

Any list of those regarded to bear the responsibility for Celtic crashing and burning in their pursuit of a record tenth title is considered incomplete without the inclusion of Albian Ajeti.

Albian Ajeti's goal in Celtic's 40 win over Kilmarnock was the product of his first-ever full Premiership outing for the club. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

Great play was made of the fact that the striker, a £4.5million signing from West Ham last August, scored his first goal since September in the 4-0 win away to Kilmarnock. That fact has been cited as evidence the Swiss international is a symbol of the club’s deeply flawed signing policy last summer.

Yet, such an assessment fails to take account of another eye-opening aspect of his outing at Rugby Park. The game was his first league 90 minutes in Celtic colours, and only his second overall for the club. The previous one, for the League Cup loss against Ross County in late November, also marked his last start before the trip to Ayrshire. Ajeti has hardly been a hit for Neil Lennon’s men. Yet, with six strikes and three assists in little over 900 minutes of football, his minimal impact has to be judged in the context of the football he has missed.

The 23-year-old has admitted to relief over being restored to full health following “weeks and months” struggling with his fitness and muscle injuries. “Being out is part of football,” Ajeti said. “You have to accept it and try to take the best things out of it. I am feeling good now and I hope that my muscles keep working well. I have to keep my health, and if I keep my health, I think I will get my games and then I will be able to help the team. This is the most important thing for the future because the rest will come after that.

“The manager said to just keep working hard and be patient. We had a lot of good and honest conversations. He said ‘I know it is a hard time for you’. Like I said, this is football, this is a part of it. We all know how it works and how it is and I didn’t make a big deal out of it, but I am happy now to be back. This is what I want and this is what he wants. There are many choices you can make, but the best one is just to get the head down and keep working harder. That’s what I did and, even though it took a long time, I am back and, as I’ve said, it’s just about keeping healthy. If I do that, I can do my job.”

Celtic’s campaign has been cursed because of both the struggles of those unable to play, and the struggles of those who have played as a result. Following the horrendous 2-1 home loss to St Mirren last weekend, a reshaped side led by Scott Brown shook these off to run out comfortable winners against Kilmarnock. Ajeti believes the reversal in fortunes was all about finding a collective will. “It’s not been easy for any one of us,” he said. “The team has been struggling and no-one player can shine then. It is hard to make the difference.But when you stick together, you can shine as a team, and that is what we did. at Kilmarnock.”

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