Michael Stewart is of the view that Celtic new boy Patryk Klimala will need to understand that he is not going to usurp Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths in the squad any time soon.
Celtic signed the Polish striker in the winter transfer window and he has made four appearances for the Scottish champions thus far.
He made his first start for Celtic against Clyde in the Scottish Cup last weekend and provided an assist in their 3-0 win.
But Stewart stressed that he has not seen anything from the striker to suggest that he is going to feature more regularly for Celtic in the second half of the season.
He believes there is no need for Klimala to make a great start at Celtic and he will need to understand that he is not likely to get ahead of either Edouard or Griffiths in the pecking order of strikers any time soon.
Asked if he has seen enough in Klimala to suggest that he is going to play more, Stewart said on the Ladbrokes Social Club: “No.
“The fundamental point is all of this that there is so much competition for places and the people who are in that position and got the jersey are doing very well.
“For Klimala, he has only been just at the club. It is not imperative that he hits the ground running just now.
“He has got longevity and youth on his side.
“Of course he will [want to play], every player wants to play, but he has got to understand the dynamics of the team and who is in front of him.
“Edouard has been sensational, Leigh Griffiths obviously has such a good history, he dipped away for a number of reasons and he has now come back.”
Klimala will be hoping for further chances to make an impact as he looks to dislodge those ahead of him in the pecking order.
