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Celtic reveal Arne Engels replacement plan, address goalkeeper position and detail two sides to injury blow Celtic transfer latest as midfielder departs on eve of Champions League play-off Martin O’Neill has revealed Celtic are still in the market for a box-to-box midfielder to replace Arne Engels, who is in London ahead of a £22 million transfer to West Ham United. Mika Baur’s arrival at Celtic from German side Paderborn was confirmed on Thursday. O’Neill explained that the 22-year-old German midfielder is not the same type of midfield player as the departing Belgian. The Celtic manager has returned to work following a health scare that saw him miss last Sunday’s 5-1 win over Kilmarnock. O’Neill also confirmed that right back Alistair Johnston will still be at the club come the end of the transfer window. He has an injury on the same leg as the serious hamstring injury sustained last season and which meant he missed several months. “It’s a wee bit lower down,” said O’Neill. “Last year it was high up, hence the operation.” O’Neill said Johnston will now be out “for a few weeks”. He added: “By the time he is fit it will be past the transfer deadline.” The Canadian will miss both legs of the Champions League play-off tie against Austrian side LASK. The first game is at Parkhead on Wednesday and Celtic have until 11pm the night before the game to make two new additions to the already registered Champions League squad. O’Neill is in the market for a midfielder to reprise Engels’ role. “Mika is a really nice footballer who can break things up and manoeuvre the ball,” he explained. “He is not the biggest in the world. We always felt that if Arne left – we were hoping it was not to be - but if he left we would be looking for a box-to-box midfield player with real physicality. And that is something we would still look at. “I know the transfer window is pressing, and we are not getting everything in before these Champions League games. It would have been nice but we are where we are. I am seriously delighted to get the boys we have in.” Egyptian winger Haissem Hassan has also been signed this week. O’Neill revealed that both Hassan and Baur will be in the squad for this weekend’s trip to face Dundee United in the Premier Sports Cup. The manager intends to give both players some playing time before the first LASK game. O’Neill noted that Baur is a lot further on in terms of match fitness. Hassan has not played since his country’s defeat to Argentina in the last 16 of the World Cup last month. O’Neill lamented Engels’ departure such an important Champions League tie but stressed some realism had to be applied. Both the buying club and player would have justified concerns about picking up an injury – a scenario that has duly unfolded in the case of Johnston, who O’Neill said “felt something” in his leg during the first half of Sunday’s win over Kilmarnock. Clubs including Everton had been previously linked with the right back. “I think Arne wanted to go and didn’t want to take that risk some club might not come in for him,” noted O’Neill. “From a playing viewpoint I can understand that.” The Celtic manager also confirmed that he intends to sign another goalkeeper. "Goalkeeper is something we will be looking at, absolutely," he said. "We have the two lads at this minute (Viljami Sinisalo and Ross Doohan). We have the younger boys who with the best will in the world would not be ready yet." Comments Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.