Lewis Morgan admits Celtic have barely noticed their recent injury problems because of the seamless transition made by their eager second string.
Brendan Rodgers has been forced to reshuffle his pack in recent weeks with skipper Scott Brown, Jozo Simunovic, Cristian Gamboa, Youssouf Mulumbu, Eboue Kouassi, Daniel Arzani and Leigh Griffiths all ruled out with various aliments.
But that lengthy casualty list has not stopped the Hoops hitting top gear, with the champions racking up 23 goals while conceding just two in their last five games.
Former St Mirren playmaker Morgan has been among the reserves battling for one of the vacant slots and he says the fierce fight to claim a jersey is ensuring standards remain high.
Morgan told the Celtic website: “We’ve picked up a few injuries in recent weeks and – because of the strength in depth of the squad – we’ve been able to make changes with minimal effect.
“The team’s on a great run at the moment, and that’s down to the fact that we do have boys that are ready and waiting to play.
“Having competition in all areas of the pitch is the way it should be. When you’re given the chance to come on, you’re always wanting to make a positive impact.
“There’s always the rule here that if you’re doing well, you play. That’s something players who are starting games know as well – that if they’re not performing then there are boys waiting to come in. That’s also great for morale.”
Morgan himself was lucky not to join the Parkhead sick list after being scythed down by Hearts midfielder Peter Haring late on during Saturday’s 5-0 drumbing of the Tynecastle league leaders.
The 22-year-old, however, has brushed off the incident and now hopes to tackle RB Leipzig in Thursday’s crucial Europa League clash at Celtic Park.
“It was sore for a couple of days afterwards, but it was nothing more than a knock,” he said. “That comes with the territory, especially when a team is playing as well as we were at the weekend.
“Frustration maybe creeps in with opposition players at that point, but these things happen. It’s all part of the game.
“As for Thursday, we go into every game with confidence knowing that we can win it. From there, it’s about making sure that when those games do come, that we’re ready.
“I think it’ll be an entertaining game. Both teams like to play attacking football and it’s a game we’re going into high in confidence.
“Obviously this comes on the back of the run we’ve had, and it’s one we’re looking to take three points from.
“The crowd at Celtic Park is so important, not just in Europe, but domestically as well.
“Having the support we’ve had is also a big thing that doesn’t get spoken about enough in this recent run we’re on – the home and away fans have been great.”
