Celtic’s Scottish Cup meeting with Auchinleck Talbot at the weekend said a great deal.
Sadly, it did so for all the wrong reasons, even though Celtic comfortably overcame the sixth-tier outfit and secured their place in the next round.
Michel-Ange Balikwisha once again found himself under heavy scrutiny after delivering yet another concerning display, this time against significantly weaker opposition.
Few supporters can envision a long-term future for Balikwisha at Celtic, and while the warning signs are clear for the DR Congo international, Shin Yamada can also be placed in the same bracket – despite both players only arriving last summer.
Shin Yamada’s Celtic career ended before it truly began
As anticipated, Martin O’Neill shuffled his pack against Auchinleck Talbot, handing opportunities to several squad players, including Balikwisha and Paulo Bernardo.
Johnny Kenny was trusted to lead the line and duly broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark.
The fact that Yamada was omitted from the starting XI reflects poorly on his standing, especially considering he has managed just one start since his move from Kawasaki Frontale in the summer.
Worse still, O’Neill only introduced him with three minutes remaining.
Celtic are actively searching for a striker, yet they already have one who can barely earn game time, even against a sixth-tier opponent.
If that doesn’t suggest Yamada’s time in Glasgow is effectively finished before it ever really got going, then nothing does.
That said, Yamada has not been treated kindly. He has accumulated just 243 Premiership minutes and has frequently struggled to even make the matchday squad.
With that in mind, if Celtic succeed in signing a striker before the January transfer window closes, it would come as little surprise if Yamada exits through the door at the same time.