Celtic boss Neil Lennon has disclosed that the team have suffered a potential injury blow. The Hoops manager revealed on Twitter that Olivier Ntcham has injured his ankle in training and is a doubt to face Ross County on Saturday.
Ntcham will be ‘assessed’ but it seems unlikely that the club will risk him if he is carrying a knock. The potential injury is unfortunate for Ntcham, as it denies the player what could have been a rare start this season.
It is also unfortunate for another Hoops player, Callum McGregor. The midfielder has played a lot of football this season, and the game against Ross County could have been the ideal opportunity to give the player a much-needed break.
Regular duo seem set to start
With Ntcham a doubt, that seems unlikely to happen. The midfield duo of McGregor and Scott Brown seem certain to start the game.
That means that McGregor is likely to play in two huge games in a few days for the Hoops, with the Lazio Europa League tie on Thursday.
He also started in both of Scotland’s recent European Championship qualifiers against Russia and San Marino. The only Celtic player to start both games.
Player is vital to club and country
That shows how important that McGregor is to both club and country. However, the problem is that McGregor may end up facing a similar situation to last season, when he played more minutes than any other player in football.
Celtic will be hoping that scenario doesn’t repeat itself this season. Therefore, when the opportunity arises, McGregor can be rested and replaced with a player of similar quality.
That is where Ntcham would come in. But as he has suffered an injury, it seems that a chance for McGregor to be rested has gone.
Hopefully he can be taken off at the 60-minute mark with the Hoops having the game already won.
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