Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou gives update on Giorgos Giakoumakis transfer links

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has said that Giorgos Giakoumakis’ absence from the squad that faced St Mirren on Wednesday had nothing to do with recent transfer links and the player was missing through injury.

The champions cruised to a 4-0 win over St Mirren but the Greek striker was not even named on the bench, prompting questions about his future after reports that he was on the brink of a move abroad.

Postecoglou said that a minor injury had kept Giakoumakis out of action, and that the player would be part of his plans for upcoming games unless “something significant happens.”

“Giakoumakis and (Cameron Carter-Vickers) just pulled up sore from the weekend,” he said.

“At a stretch Giako might be available for Saturday (against Morton). Cam probably will be, but we’ll probably still rest him for Saturday even though it’s nothing significant.”

When asked directly if he expected Giakoumakis still to be a Celtic player when the team plays Morton in the Scottish Cup on Saturday, the manager said: “I see no reason why not.

He added: “I just deal with what is in front of me, and until I’m told otherwise or something significant happens…

“He was here tonight mate, so you could have asked him yourself.

“He’s still very much part of our set-up, I’m not playing ducks and drakes.

“He would have been involved if he wasn’t injured.”

Reflecting on his side’s win over St Mirren, where a double from Kyogo Furuhashi and goals from David Turnbull and Liel Abada maintained Celtic’s nine-point Premiership lead, Postecoglou was pleased with what he saw.

“Our football was really good and the goals were outstanding and some great moves didn’t end up in goals,” he said.

“It was a really strong all-round performance. Our attacking play was really fluent and dangerous the whole night.”

And the manager had words of praise for Yuki Kobayashi after the Japanese defender had a solid debut.

“He was good,” Postecoglou said. “It’s not easy, he is still adjusting to the football here and life here.

“They are a big, strong physical team, very direct, and they launched some balls into the box. He had to deal with that side of the game, which I thought he did quite well.

“I thought he was really good on the ball, really composed. He will get better at that but I thought as an introduction he was good.”