ANGE POSTECOGLOU utilised TWENTY-TWO players in the bounce game against Rennes in Portugal yesterday.
Skipper Callum McGregor made his comeback after missing 11 games following his injury in the Champions League match against RB Leipzig in Germany over two months ago.
The midfield anchorman was given 78 minutes in the 4-3 loss to the Ligue 1 outfit before being replaced by teen ace Rocco Vata.
New Bhoy Yuki Kobayashi was introduced at the same time McGregor was making his exit as the former Vissel Kobe star came on for Carl Starfelt.
GONE IN SIXTY MINUTES…Joe Hart was given an hour against Rennes.
Postecoglou was determined to give everyone the opportunity to get tuned up before Saturday’s trip to Pittodrie to face Aberdeen when the Premiership restarts with the champions currently nine points ahead of their nearest challengers.
First team keeper Joe Hart played for an hour before Benji Siegrist took over the gloves and on-loan Moritz Jenz was replaced at the interval by Bosun Lawal while Sead Haksabanovic came on for Liel Abada at the same time.
Kyogo Furuhashi, who netted against the French club, Matt O’Riley, who claimed a double, Filipe Jota and Greg Taylor were also withdrawn on the 60-minute mark with Giorgos Giakoumakis, David Turnbull, James Forrest and Alexandro Bernabei coming on.
WORK-OUT…Oliver Abildgaard got some game-time in Portugal.
Oliver Abildgaard took over from Reo Hatate in the 69th minute and Yosuke Ideguchi joined Kobayashi and Vata coming off the substitutes’ bench for Anthony Ralston with 12 minutes to go.
All 22 players stripped for the closed-doors encounter got some minutes and Postecoglou has still to welcome right-back Alistair Johnston, signed for £3.5million from MLS outfit CS Montreal, after his World Cup exploits with Canada.
Also stil to return after performing in the soccer showpiece in Qatar are Cameron Carter-Vickers, Aaron Mooy and Daizen Maeda while Josip Juranovic will line up for Croatia against Argentina in the semi-final on Tuesday evening.
