Lotomba was handed his opportunity by Martin O’Neill in the 3-2 Europa League victory at Celtic Park, having struggled for game time since arriving late in the summer transfer window.

The defender was given a demanding assignment up against Leandro Trossard and found himself tested throughout the evening.

But former Celtic striker Sutton believes it would be wrong to single out Lotomba for criticism given the circumstances surrounding his arrival at the club. Writing in his Daily Record column, Sutton said: “I actually had some sympathy for the full-back.

"He’s clearly not fully up to speed, having arrived looking like he’d been on a three-month all-inclusive holiday over the summer. It’s a tough first start, against a team like Besiktas and being asked to do a job on a guy like Leandro Trossard.

“I thought Arsenal were daft to let him go and he showed his quality the other night.”

Lotomba’s difficult introduction came after he was recruited in the closing stages of the summer window, and Sutton believes some of the responsibility for his struggles lies with Celtic’s wider transfer operation.

He added: “Lotomba was up against it and it was a difficult evening. But he’s not the one to blame for the malfunctioning transfer setup that saw him arrive in the final days of the window.

“It’s a bit unfair to slaughter him.”