Neil Lennon opened up on Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo’s injury concern as well as updating supporters on the fitness of Mikey Johnston and James Forrest.
Celtic eased to a 3-1 success over Bosnian champions Sarajevo tonight. It was a fine result and performance in the end, with Johnston a particularly impressive performer. Goals from Johnston, Odsonne Edouard, and Scott Sinclair were enough to bury Sarajevo’s slim hopes of progression.
But the game didn’t end without its casualties either. Johnston, Boli, and Forrest all came off with troubles. All three walked off, but looks can be deceiving with football injuries, and supporter concerns certainly rose with each knock.
Fortunately, Lennon seemed to hint that both Johnston and Forrest would be fine. As for Boli, however, the Hoops boss left a worrying remark about the new left-back’s ankle. Speaking to the BBC (21:08), Lennon had this to say:
“Mikey felt a tinge in his squad, so we’re hoping it’s not too serious. Boli rolled his ankle in the first half and it just got progressively worse.
“And James [Forrest] was just fatigue more than anything else, so we didn’t want to take any chances. So hopefully we’re not too stretched on that side of things.”
Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo’s injury is worth keeping tabs on
Celtic must hope that Bolingoli-Mbombo is fit for the second Champions League qualifier against Nomme Kalju/Shkendija. If he was to have picked up anything that requires major treatment, we’re seriously depleted at left-back. Jonny Hayes has proven he can play there, but not to any great effect.
Lennon, fortunately, seems optimistic on all three, but his short remarks on both Johnston and Boli will offer various degrees of concern. As it stands, however, Johnston is replaceable. There are plenty of wingers available to be drafted in for a game or two if he has to sit out for a short stint.
The same can’t be said for Mbombo, however. Kieran Tierney is still recovering from a knock of his own. Andrew Gutman, of course, could be chosen if any injury to Mbombo takes its toll. He would be the only natural left-back left.
All injury concerns will likely be seen by the Parkhead physio in the coming days. Only then will we truly know the extent of Johnston and Mbombo in particular.
What is a plus is that Johnston and Boli continued playing after their initial knocks. So long as they haven’t been too aggravated, we should hopefully be okay.
But the Mbombo remark from Lennon remains a concern. Hopefully, there’s no serious damage there.
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