Martin O'Neill wants rusty Celtic to make signings before LASK as admissions made on two transfers

The defending champions kicked off their domestic campaign with a narrow victory over Dundee at Celtic Park, with last season’s top scorer Benjamin Nygren scoring the only goal of the game on 52 minutes.

O’Neill handed debuts to Celtic’s two summer signings - forwards Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran - but the duo failed to ignite, with £11 million man Hogh missing three decent chances.

The Celtic boss is convinced Hogh will come good soon enough but after discovering that his team will face Austrian outfit LASK in their Champions League qualifier earlier on Monday, he called on more recruits to come in ahead of the first leg on August 20. The club have had bids rejected by Paderborn for midfielder Mika Baur and Frosinone for winger Fares Ghedjemis.

“I didn’t think we played particularly well for most of the game but we did enough to win,” said O’Neill on his team’s performance. “We had some really great chances and could maybe have put the game to bed a lot earlier. But overall I thought we were a bit rusty. It was a typical first game of the season and I’m hoping we’ll get better for next week.”

Quizzed on potential incomings and wanting them in time for LASK, O’Neill continued: “I would like to do that. I would definitely like to do that. I think the most important things is obviously getting the players in but also getting them to work with each other.

“This is the point. Kasper is getting to know the players' names as much as anything else. And getting players to play together. Even if it was only on the practice field. Just to get that mindset as much as anything else.

“I still think that we are. I will speak to Michael tomorrow tomorrow morning. See where we are. I spoke to him briefly today. But it was about just, let's concentrate on the game tonight. So tomorrow is another day.

How Celtic debutants fared

On his two debutants, O’Neill reasoned: “I do think that when the season progresses they will be really good for us. I don’t think wide right is really Camilo’s position but we put him there because we haven’t really had a chance to practice that much.

“Kasper missed a few chances. I thought he can do better, he can definitely do better. But I do think he will be an acquisition for us. He will score goals. I think he will live up to it [his price tag]."

While Celtic remain keen to bring in players, they are also battling to keep midfielder Arne Engels and right-back Alistair Johnston, who are coveted by West Ham and Everton respectively. O’Neill would prefer to keep both men at the club until after the LASK tie. The duo started against Dundee.

“Alistair and Arne both said to me that they would want to play in the game if things had not progressed,” said O’Neill. “And I thought they did fine.

“Alistair has got a very strong mindset anyway. But you are naturally worried about transfer speculation in the background and how you might take the game into consideration psychologically as well ask physically.

“Alistair even moved over to left-back when Kieran [Tierney] came off. I cannot update you on any progress from the other day because I don’t know any.”

Asked if he could keep them for the Champions League play-off, O’Neill said: “Ideally that would be brilliant, that would be really good. We wouldn’t know if the other clubs would want to pursue that, if that was the case.

“I’m quite sure that anybody starting off in their own particular leagues would want their players in as soon as possible. But ideally, that would be great.”