By Mark Atkinson

Copyright scotsman

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has taken responsibility for new signing Michel-Ange Balikwisha’s performance at Kilmarnock last week, admitting that he is not playing him in his best position. Balikwisha joined Celtic at the end of August and is primarily a left winger, although he can also operate centrally and on the opposite flank. But with Rodgers having brought in another left-sided player in Sebastian Tounekti for a similar fee of £5 million, the manager decided to fit both into his starting XI at Rugby Park, with Balikwisha asked to play on the right wing. While Tounekti impressed hugely on his debut, winning the man-of-the-match award in a 2-1 win, Balikwisha could not provide the same impact and was withdrawn for James Forrest before the hour mark. The 24-year-old former Belgium youth international had started on the left wing on his debut against Rangers at Ibrox in Celtic’s previous match and although there were few chances throughout the game, Balikwisha looked slightly hesitant in possession after being thrust into the most difficult of introductions to his Celtic career days after joining from Royal Antwerp. Forrest and Yang Hyun-jun appear the most natural options for the right-wing spot, with Balikwisha needing to back up Tounekti for the time being. And when asked about his Rugby Park display, Rodgers said: “To be fair, that’s on me. The boy’s a left-sided player. “Bali’s a really technically gifted player. He has great football qualities. His best side is on the left side, but he’s played in other positions. He’s played on the right-hand side. Previously in his career, he’s played as a 10, he’s played as an eight. So he’s played across that front line. “I wanted to see him on that right side, but there’s no doubt his best position is from the left. And even if Sebastian is to play there, and he sits out a game or whatever else, we still need two really impactful wingers that can play. “We thought Daizen (Maeda) was gone so we needed to make sure we were covered. Obviously, we weren’t able to get what we wanted on the right side. So I wanted to try him. And we’re in this process of finding out about players because they’re just in the door. But there’s no doubt he’s much more comfortable on the left side.” Maeda looks set for an extended run in the centre-forward role after being denied a big-money move because of Celtic’s struggles to finalise a replacement. When asked if the Japanese attacker could be an option on the right wing, Rodgers said: “I don’t think it’s his best position, no. I think left side or through the middle is his position.”