Cameron Carter-Vickers on how he is planning to avoid injury concerns at Celtic this term

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Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers will once again trust his key players to lead by example as the Bhoys aim to bring home further silverware this term.

The Irishman has an experienced core in the dressing room that understand what it takes to go to the well and prevail, and Cameron Carter-Vickers is among the leading figures at the club in that respect.

Fresh from his involvement with the United States at Copa America, the 26-year-old featured against Chelsea last weekend as Celtic thrashed their Premier League opposition 4-1 in Indiana.

This campaign, Carter-Vickers will be desperate to stay injury-free following a year complicated by fitness struggles. In 2023/24, the Southend-born man made 31 appearances across all competitions, which he will hope to surpass in 2024/25 [Transfermarkt].

Now, he has given some insight regarding what practices he is carrying out to try and avoid any frustrating niggles.

Cameron Carter-Vickers on behind-the-scenes work

Speaking to The Daily Record, Carter-Vickers explained: “It’s nice to be fit. Stuff like that doesn’t really bother me too much. Ideally you would like to get a full pre-season under your belt and then go into the season. But if that’s not the case it’s not the case.

“I’ve been trying to work on the areas I struggled with physically last year and go from there. It’s not massive changes but little things you can maybe do before or after training to help with little problems you may have.

“Every player has them. It’s just about tailoring it to you and what you need. Getting a good pre-season and getting up and running correctly definitely helps.”

It is refreshing to hear that Carter-Vickers is looking to finely tune his preparations for the new campaign to maximise his availability. Ultimately, he is one of Celtic’s most important players, and it is noticeable when he is ruled out.

Becoming a pillar of strength under Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou, the USA star will have a decisive part to play as the Bhoys look to claim a fourth successive Scottish Premiership title.

This weekend, Kilmarnock make the trip to Parkhead as the campaign gets underway, so expect Carter-Vickers to be charged with marshalling the defence as Celtic aim to get off to a positive start.