Celtic boss Neil Lennon has disclosed that utility man Nir Bitton is a doubt for the Hoops’ match against Ross County on Saturday, reports the club’s Twitter account.
The Hoops boss confirmed that Bitton was the only player who returned from international duty with an injury. Therefore, he may not feature in the trip to Dingwall.
“Nir is feeling a bit sore on the knees and that’s being assessed as we speak. Everyone’s returned” he said, as quoted by the Celtic Twitter account.
Firstly, it is a relief that of all the players who travelled away last week, only one seems to have suffered an injury. That is still one too many, but the number could have been far higher.
As for Bitton, it will be disappointing for the player if he is ruled out of action for any length of time. He played well for Israel in their recent 1-1 draw against Scotland.
He played in a defensive role in that game, and fared well against Ryan Christie. Bitton played the entirety of the Scotland game, and the 1-1 draw with Slovenia. Unfortunately in that second game he seems to have picked up an injury.
A stop-start season so far
It has been a stop-start season for Bitton so far. He has not played in every game, but he has done well enough when he has featured.
Interestingly, he has played at centre-back in his most recent appearances for the club. That could be where Neil Lennon sees his future at Celtic, challenging the likes of Christopher Jullien, Kristoffer Ajer and Shane Duffy.
For that to happen though, he has to overcome the injury that he has. Hopefully it is just a precaution, and he isn’t out of action for long.
Could be a valuable tool to have
When he is fit, Bitton is a more than useful player in a number of positions. In this busy season, his versatility could be a valuable tool to have.
That being said, if he is hurt there is no need to rush back as Celtic have a big enough squad. It will still be a pity if he is out for any length of time though.
In other news, Scott Brown isn’t sure about what to expect from Celtic’s trip to Ross County.
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