Former Celtic fullback Jackie McNamara believes the absence of Mohamed Elyounoussi will be keenly felt when the Hoops take on Rangers in the Old Firm derby tomorrow.

The Swiss international has not been seen since he suffered a recurrence of a foot injury in the Betfred Cup Final against their Glasgow rivals earlier this month. Asked whether he would be a big miss in the league clash this weekend, McNamara replied:

“Yeah, definitely. I think he has gotten better since he came on. For the cup final, I don’t think he was fully fit as he came off at half-time, and obviously he hasn’t recovered properly. But I do think he is someone who after the winter break, will be firing on all cylinders.”

Elyounoussi has certainly proven to be an influential figure when fit for the Hoops this campaign. The 25-year-old has scored seven goals and provided six assists in just 13 appearances.

However, Neil Lennon’s side have continued to perform well during his time out injured. They have scored eight goals in four league games since the League Cup final and will be confident of getting on the scoresheet against the Gers this weekend.

Ryan Christie and James Forrest have been used in wide areas in recent matches, but they do have the likes of Mikey Johnston to call upon if they want to use another option out wide in the derby with Elyounoussi still sidelined.