Neil Lennon has provided Celtic fans with a promising Stephen Welsh guarantee after his injury last night.
The in-form Lennoxtown graduate was making his third consecutive start for the club against St Mirren. He was also on his way to securing his second clean sheet in those three games too alongside experienced star Kristoffer Ajer.
That was before a nasty Jonathan Obika challenge saw Welsh stretchered off during the second half. In slo-mo, it looked a bad one, with Welsh’s ankle being forced into an unnatural shape.
However, Lennon still hopes that the centre-back won’t miss any games. And even if he does, he’s offered the Celtic fans and the player himself a class guarantee of going straight back into the squad when fit.
As quoted by the Daily Record, Lennon said: “He got a real heavy knock, a trauma. His foot is in a pot at the minute so it is difficult to assess the damage until the physios get a real good look at it. We are hoping it is just a bang on the ankle.
“But we will have to see if there is any damage there. He seemed okay. With the foot in the pot it kind of keeps it stable and he didn’t look to be in any distress.
“He has done very well. We have been very pleased with him and he is a good kid. Hopefully he won’t miss any games. If he does he will be back in the squad as soon as possible because he has earned it.”
Lennon hits the mark; important Welsh continues to feature for Celtic
This would’ve been Celtic supporters’ greatest fear last night. When they watched on as Welsh was stretchered off, many would’ve been fearing that was the last we would see of him for a while.
After all, Lennon has previous in quickly forgetting about him. He made a superb debut against Hamilton back in February 2020 before not making a single appearance for the rest of the campaign. He then did himself no harm against Rangers and AC Milan in October before, again, instantly losing his place for the next several months.
It’s essential that isn’t the case this time around. Especially given the fact that Welsh is clearly ready for more exposure at his level. He’s been one of our more dependable performers this season whenever he’s been given the opportunity.
With Chris Jullien injured and Shane Duffy and Nir Bitton struggling for form, it was easy to choose Welsh. But it’s important Lennon continues to stick by him even when he has other options in decent form. That’s the only way he’ll be able to build on his development.
For now, all we can do is wait on a further update. A timeline for Welsh’s injury has yet to be revealed. And with big games coming up against the likes of Aberdeen and Rangers in the coming weeks, he’ll hope to fire himself back into contention.
At the very least, he has a guarantee from Lennon that he’ll be involved as soon as he’s back.
In other news, we discuss what’s next for Celtic after last night’s 4-0 win.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
