Boost for Celtic as injured defender is spotted in training ahead of Motherwell

By John McGinley

December 11, 2021

Anthony Ralston trained with the Celtic first-team on Friday ahead of Sunday’s clash with Motherwell after picking up an injury against Hearts last Thursday night.

Ralston missed the matches against both Dundee United and Real Betis, as manager Ange Postecoglou rotated through his full-back options.

However, as spotted via the SNS photo group, Ralston was fully involved in yesterday’s training session at Lennoxtown, suggesting he will be in contention for the visit of the Steelmen this weekend.

Ralston has become a key player for Celtic

Although he was something of a forgotten man at Celtic this time last year, Ralston has actually emerged as a key player under Postecoglou. Nobody has benefitted more from the Australian’s arrival, so it was a blow to see him pick up an injury at a crucial stage of the season.

However, it seems that he’s come through that knock, given the manager a positive selection headache for once.

The Celtic back four actually looked very settled and balanced at Tannadice on Sunday, with Greg Taylor on the left and Josip Juranovic on the right. Ralston’s return to the team is no guarantee at all.

Even if he does not play on Sunday, it remains likely that the 23-year-old will feature heavily throughout the December month as matches pile up.

It has become quite a joy to see Ralston bombing up and down the right flank with physicality and intent. The sooner he’s back to action, the better it will be.

In other news, Report: The exact date Celtic want to make major transfer announcements.