Martin O'Neill's Kasper Hogh patience must surely be wearing thin

Martin O'Neill is still playing the patient game with Kasper Hogh, but at this point one must wonder when patience will run out.

Hogh has not scored since his second Celtic appearance, when he scored a hat-trick against Kilmarnock, and he is readily missing chances. The Dane even missed one from less than two yards out against Benfica, hitting the post, and he was dragged off at half-time.

That's not the first time he has been brought on early, and it's a sign that the striker is not only lacking in goals. He is also struggling with his hold-up play, struggling to put himself in the right position to receive the ball and bring others into play.

Hogh has to at least offer one or the other, if not both, especially considering he arrived on a £11million deal in the summer.

But while O'Neill is not afraid to drag Hogh off at half-time, he is playing the patient game with the striker, at least in public.

“That would have been nice if he’d scored that goal,” said O'Neill on Friday. "Because at the end of it all, centre-forwards or strikers live or die by goals. They really do.

“That was a good chance to score on Thursday night. But overall, over the course of the season, I think he’ll be absolutely fine. At this minute, he just needs a goal because it does give you a big boost of confidence.”

It is too early for Celtic to panic, and these things happen for Celtic, but O'Neill needs to find a way to get the best out of his pricey striker. If the patient approach doesn't work, then the veteran boss is going to have ti pivot to ramping up the pressure, because so far, it isn't working.

Hogh was clumsy with his finishing in his very first game for the club, and then he scored three in one game, but even that wasn't enough to keep his confidence high for a run of games.

That's a worrying trait, but it's worth repeating that Celtic can get goals from elsewhere, but the absolute minimum is that Hogh can bring the ball down and bring players into play, and there's no reason for him not to be delivering on that front.

The Dane needs to get his performances right and the goals will likely follow, rather than chasing goals and seeing his performances suffer.