Martin O’Neill has made a bold Celtic selection call for the Premiership clash with Hearts after watching his side struggle against Benfica in Lisbon.

The Celtic manager has made four changes following Thursday night’s 4-1 Europa League defeat, with his attacking selections particularly interesting.

One player has earned his chance despite barely featuring this season, and O’Neill believes his performance in Portugal justified the decision.

What are your thoughts on the criticism Martin O’Neill is receiving? Is it justified? 🤔

Martin O’Neill explains why Callum Osmand starts for Celtic against Hearts

Callum Osmand has been handed his first Celtic start of the season after impressing as a half-time substitute against Benfica.

The 20-year-old replaced Sebastian Tounekti in Lisbon, while Haissem Hassan came on for Kasper Høgh as O’Neill attempted to rescue Celtic’s dreadful first-half performance.

Speaking in Celtic’s pre-match interview ahead of the Hearts clash, O’Neill explained why Osmand had earned his place.

The hoops boss said: “I thought that he and Hassan coming on in the second half [vs Benfica] gave us that impetus going forward, and yeah, he’s deserved the opportunity.

“He’s had a bit of a time with it, with injuries and stuff like that. But he’s fine, and while 45 minutes is all he’s had this particular season, it’s in that sense, he’s deserved the opportunity, and I think he can add something to us.”

Osmand was one of the few positives from Celtic’s defeat in Lisbon, earning a 6/10 in the player ratings against Benfica after causing problems for the Portuguese defence.

He fired an early second-half chance over the crossbar and had two further efforts blocked, while Hassan supplied the cross for Camilo Durán’s goal.

Both players have now been rewarded with starting places against Hearts, with Høgh dropping to the bench and Tounekti left out of the squad entirely.

Callum Osmand gets another chance to hurt Hearts

Osmand has already written his name into Celtic history against the Edinburgh club. His stoppage-time goal in the 3-1 victory over Hearts that secured the Premiership title in May capped a remarkable finish to last season.

The youngster had previously scored against Rangers in the League Cup semi-final before suffering a serious hamstring injury against Midtjylland.

His lack of involvement this campaign had already raised questions about Osmand’s role at Celtic, particularly with O’Neill struggling to find a consistent attacking combination.

Against Benfica, Osmand operated on the left wing rather than in his usual central position. O’Neill has stuck with that arrangement against Hearts, keeping Durán through the middle and Hassan on the opposite flank.

With Høgh struggling for goals and Tounekti now out of the side, Osmand has a chance to make that position his own.