Martin O’Neill has backed Kasper Høgh to recover from his difficult Celtic run but accepts the striker urgently needs a goal to restore his confidence.

There are no two ways about it: Høgh is struggling at Celtic just now.

The club-record signing has gone 13 consecutive appearances for club and country without scoring, with his first-half hat-trick against Kilmarnock remaining the only game in which he has found the net for the Hoops.

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That Rugby Park performance suggested Høgh was ready to burst onto the scene following his £11million summer move from Bodø/Glimt.

However, it now feels like a long time ago.

There have been signs that the drought is affecting the striker’s decision-making.

During Celtic’s 2-0 victory over Motherwell, Høgh passed to Benjamin Nygren when he appeared to have an excellent opportunity to shoot himself.

It was an unselfish decision which produced Celtic’s second goal, but Kris Boyd believed the moment demonstrated Høgh’s lack of confidence.

The Dane was handed another chance against Benfica on Thursday.

He struck the post before seeing another promising effort saved during the 4-1 Europa League defeat, extending his barren run despite finally receiving opportunities inside the penalty area.

O’Neill admitted that converting one of those chances could have provided the striker with an important lift.

“That would have been nice if he’d scored that goal,” the Celtic manager said to the Herald.

“Because at the end of it all, centre-forwards or strikers live or die by goals. They really do.

“That was a good chance to score on Thursday night. But overall, over the course of the season, I think he’ll be absolutely fine.

“At this minute, he just needs a goal because it does give you a big boost of confidence.”

Høgh has not always been helped by Celtic’s approach.

He built his reputation as a penalty-box striker whose intelligent movement allowed him to attack crosses and finish chances from close range.

Celtic saw precisely that against Kilmarnock, when all three of his goals came from inside the area after he received the correct service.

Since then, he has frequently been asked to operate as a traditional target man, chasing long passes and attempting to create something while isolated from his teammates.

That does not absolve him of responsibility for missed opportunities, but it provides important context to his difficult run. Gary Hooper has previously urged Høgh to trust his game rather than allowing the pressure to change his approach.

The question now is whether O’Neill continues to start him.

Camilo Durán has looked increasingly dangerous through the middle and could be considered for that role against Hearts.

Høgh’s confidence may be low, but the quality he demonstrated in Norway has not simply disappeared. One goal could transform his outlook.

Celtic must help him find it by creating the right chances but when those opportunities arrive, the £11million striker must begin taking them.