The Hoops fringe man has fallen out of the picture after some lacklustre performances this season

Luke McCowan's Dundee mentor Tony Docherty has revealed the midfielder's unseen reaction to being dropped out of the Celtic picture.

The 28-year-old has faced major criticism from fans this term after a series of lacklustre displays.

McCowan was singled out by some irked punters after he was thrown on during the Champions League playoff collapse to LASK, after he was dispossessed on the edge of his own box - allowing the Austrian side to score the decisive fifth of the evening in extra time.

McCowan then took himself off Instagram amid rising noise, but has continued to struggle for regular minutes.

The playmaker was surprisingly handed his first start of the season by Martin O'Neill in the dismal Premiership defeat to Rangers before the international break - and has not played a minute of football since.

The 74-year-old gaffer has not even handed McCowan a place on the bench for the two league victories over Motherwell and Hearts. O'Neill has put Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back into the picture since the international break, while summer recruit Oliver Sorensen - who is on loan from Parma - has improved his minutes.

And Docherty has disclosed that he has held a heart-to-heart with the player, who has conceded he is going through a "tough time."

Speaking on Open Goal, Docherty said: “I saw him yesterday and we had a good chat. We keep in touch regularly.

“That can be difficult [being dropped after a difficult spell]. I know he’s going through a bit of a tough time at the moment.

“All through his career he’s been resilient and faced adversity so I would back him to get through it.”

After making the move to Celtic Park from Dens in 2024, boyhood diehard McCowan realised his dream. He has gone on to lift two titles with the club, as well as the Scottish Cup last season.

Docherty admits it was "emotional" for both himself and the player when he left Dundee. He said: “I was actually quite emotional about it. We were in pre-season and we knew about interest from Celtic.

“It was his boyhood dream to play for Celtic. We were on fire at the start of the season and Luke was my captain because Joe Shaugnessy had a long-term injury.

“Luke was pivotal for me but I knew he wanted to go. The day it happened, I remember we were training and he was really panicky that it wouldn’t happen.

“I then got a phone call during training and after training I brought him into my office and I just shook his hands and said congrats.

“It was quite emotional. It was a huge thing for him and to get that relief that it was really happening. I missed him personally but for him it was brilliant.”