Champions-elect Celtic racked up their 30th Scottish Premiership win of the season in style with a commanding, 4-1 victory over Kilmarnock on Sunday afternoon, with midfield maestro Matt O'Riley notably netting a brace amid a blistering opening for the Parkhead outfit.
That comfortable triumph at Rugby Park had come despite the Hoops being without the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota, with the duo having seemingly been left out of the matchday squad amid potential concerns over turning out on an artificial pitch.
The absence of the latter man, in particular, provided a big opportunity for fellow winger Sead Haksabanovic to impress on the right flank, with the Montenegro international having been handed his first start in the league since November.
Despite having no doubt been chomping at the bit to make his mark amid that rare inclusion in the starting XI, it is fair to say that the summer arrival was one of the more underwhelming features of that resounding victory.
How did Haksabanovic perform against Kilmarnock?
The 23-year-old – who was previously hailed as a "diamond" by former boss Jan Jonsson – has endured a mixed start to life in Glasgow thus far, having been restricted to just 11 starts in all competitions this season, albeit while chipping in with five goals and four assists in that time.
With it undoubtedly having been a 'massive chance' for Haksabanovic to 'stake his claim' ahead of the season run-in, including the Scottish Cup semi-final showdown with Rangers – according to Celtic Way's Tony Haggerty – the Sweden-born playmaker was arguably not at his brilliant best.
While the forward's lack of regular game time may have been a factor in that rusty outing, manager Ange Postecoglou may well have been expecting more from the former Rubin Kazan man, as he was rather ineffective in the final third.
That inability to make an impact was showcased by the fact that the £12k-per-week man was rather erratic on the ball after losing possession 16 times from his 56 touches, having also offered little threat after failing to complete any of his five attempted dribbles.
As Haggerty noted, the one-time West Ham United asset 'flitted in and out of the game' while the rest of the attacking unit ran riot, having also been rather ineffective defensively after winning just four of his 13 total duels.
That 'quiet' showing – as per Glasgow Live's Alan Galindo – will not have the aforementioned Jota fearing for his place in the side, with Haksabanovic needing to 'show more' if he is to properly establish himself as part of the forward line, in the words of Haggerty.
As such, it would be no real surprise if the 5 foot 9 dynamo is ditched from the side for Saturday's clash against Motherwell at Paradise, having been unable to provide Postecoglou with a genuine selection headache moving forward.
