Brendan Rodgers coy over Celtic striker position as Oh Hyeon-gyu stakes claim with Hibs double

What the Celtic manager said after the 4-1 win over Hibs

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers with striker Oh Hyeon-gyu at full time after the 4-1 win over Hibs. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers pointed to the desire shown by his players in their 4-1 victory at home to Hibs as being vital in the club’s quest for a third straight title.

Their thrust from the first minute was in sharp contrast to their meandering across the early stages of the previous outing at Perth - which brought an angry half-time reaction from the Irishman that led to them switching on and bagging three second half-goals in a 3-1 outcome.

The contrast in how they constructed their success over the Leith club - they were 4-0 up inside 55 minutes - suggested they proved a point in taking Rodgers’ demands on board, but the Celtic manager presented the performance differently.

“That’s what you need at big clubs like Celtic – you are always proving a point,” he said. “If you want to be celebrating at the end of the season you have to have the hunger all of the time. They had a reminder about that at the weekend but they showed it tonight.”

Rodgers, meanwhile, was coy about the prospects of Oh Hyeon-gyu being given a run after he bagged a double in starting ahead of Kyogo Furuhashi, with the Irishman putting his selection choices down to a desire to retain freshness over a busy period.

“We’ll see,” he said of Oh retaining his place for the trip to Kilmarnock on Sunday. “He’s playing well. It’s just whatever the game needs. It was ideal for him tonight and he came in and did well. But at this time of the season you need a freshness, especially in the forwards areas. Changing two of the front three was important for us and it gave us that freshness. Kyogo can't play in every game. But then you have someone like Oh, who can make an impact.

“He led the line really well and took his goals before we game him a breather. It’s a busy period and you are trying to keep the energy and attitude in the team. We had to show tonight why we are a good team who can play well and why we are champions. It was a really good, solid performance against a good side. It was important to keep that energy with the games coming thick and fast.”