Celtic scored seven against Hearts, Callum Osmand grabbed a double and Martin O’Neill’s attacking options suddenly look a lot stronger.

For Sebastian Tounekti, it was a miserable afternoon without even kicking a ball. The £5.2m winger wasn’t included in the squad as Celtic demolished Hearts 7-1, with Osmand and Haissem Hassan starting on either flank.

Jota also continued his comeback from injury, and Tounekti now looks like the odd man out.

Celtic's victory against Hearts may not be one of their biggest in SPFL history but it comes close. Where does that performance rank compared to their highest-scoring wins?

Since Hearts were a title rival last season, that's got to make it one of the best :thinking_face:

Sebastian Tounekti looks finished at Celtic after Callum Osmand’s emergence

I genuinely struggle to see a future for Tounekti at Celtic. The Tunisian has had more than a year to establish himself, yet his performances have rarely justified the money Celtic spent bringing him from Hammarby.

Two goals and two assists in 27 Premiership appearances last season was a disappointing return. Eight league appearances this season have produced neither a goal nor an assist.

For a winger playing in a Celtic side expected to dominate most domestic opponents, those numbers simply aren’t good enough.

Osmand needed one league start to score twice. The youngster was handed his chance against Hearts and showed the sort of directness and attacking instinct Tounekti has been missing.

Chris Sutton’s criticism of Tounekti following Osmand’s double was particularly telling. The former Celtic striker suggested Tounekti would never have scored Osmand’s first goal, pointing to the youngster’s positive movement into the box.

It’s difficult to disagree. Osmand attacked the space, took his opportunity and gave O’Neill a good reason to keep him in the team.

Tounekti couldn’t even get onto the substitutes’ bench.

How Tounekti compares with Hassan, Jota and Osmand at Celtic

Tounekti’s league numbers explain why his place is under threat, although the FotMob statistics show he has contributed more creatively than his goals and assists suggest.

Scottish Premiership 2026/27 — figures as of 19 October

Tounekti has created nine chances in 247 minutes, matching Hassan’s total despite playing considerably less football. He can create chances but Celtic need more from a £5.2m winger.

Hassan has created four big chances compared with Tounekti’s one, completed more successful dribbles and contributed an assist.

Osmand’s two goals have come from just 73 league minutes. It’s a small sample, but the youngster has already matched Tounekti’s entire league goals tally from last season.

Jota has barely played since returning from injury, but we’ve already seen what he’s capable of in a Celtic shirt. Once he’s fully fit, O’Neill will have another proven attacking option available.

Martin O’Neill’s team selections tell Tounekti everything

O’Neill’s last two team selections are far more damaging for Tounekti than anything in that statistics table.

He was substituted at half-time against Benfica, with Osmand and Hassan introduced as Celtic attempted to recover from a poor first-half performance.

Against Hearts, neither youngster lost his place. Both started, Osmand scored twice and Tounekti was nowhere to be seen. O’Neill explained how Osmand forced his way into the Celtic team, and the teenager has now backed up his manager’s faith with two goals.

Hassan isn’t perfect and Osmand is still learning his trade. Yet both have given O’Neill good reasons to select them. Would anyone seriously argue that Tounekti deserves to walk straight back into this Celtic attack ahead of either player?

Celtic paid £5.2m for Tounekti and gave him a contract until 2030. Getting him off the books won’t be easy, particularly if his performances don’t improve.

But Celtic cannot keep giving him opportunities simply because he cost a lot of money. Osmand has shown what can happen when a young player gets his chance and grabs it.

For me, Celtic should already be looking at ways to move Tounekti on. He has had opportunities to prove himself and, so far, hasn’t delivered enough.

Osmand has taken his chance, Hassan is ahead of him and Jota is returning. Unless something changes dramatically, I don’t see Tounekti getting back into this Celtic team.