Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has provided an update on the fitness of summer deadline day signing from Rubin Kazan, Oliver Abildgaard.
The 26-year-old was the Hoops last signing of the window, joining in the final few hours and adding the final piece to the Celtic squad until January at the very least.
Abildgaard was regarded as a smart pick-up by Postecoglou, and the former Socceroos boss finally had the new addition he was looking for all summer in the centre of the park.
The midfielder is expected to play a big part for the Bhoys this season. However, it was clear right from the off, that it may take a little time for Abildgaard to get up to speed.
Having not featured in competitive action for several months, the Celtic boss confirmed that his latest signing would be given some time to up his fitness before making his debut.
Two weeks on from his arrival, the Danish internationalist will be edging closer to making his debut, and some have questioned whether that could come in tonight’s Champions League fixture against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Speaking to the media ahead of this evening’s game, Postecoglou confirmed that Abildgaard will be in the Celtic squad but stated he still has some work to do on the fitness side of things.
The 57-year-old also provided an update on the fitness of Celtic duo Kyogo Furuhashi and Carl Starfelt, with both having suffered knocks in recent weeks.
He said [Daily Record]: “We’ll see. Oli is working his way through his fitness, so he’ll be in the squad, but he’s still got a bit of work to do, it’s fair to say, as he missed all of pre-season and has been training by himself.
“We’ve just got to be careful with him, but he’s in the squad. Kyogo is fine. He’s trained. He probably could have played the last game if we’d had a game.
“Carl will probably not be back before the international break. We hope because of that he won’t miss too many games, but he will still be missing for the next two or three weeks.”
Time for Abildgaard to build up fitness will be worth the wait
Although we may have to wait a little longer for Abildgaard to make his Celtic debut, in my opinion, it will be well worth the wait.
The defensive midfielder has added a key piece to the jigsaw in Ange Postecoglou’s squad, and you would imagine that the Celtic manager is just as keen to see him in action.
But, Postecoglou also recognises that the former Rubin Kazan man needs some time to get back to his full fitness.
At this stage, we may have to wait until after the international break to see the Dane in action. But Ange hasn’t yet ruled out an appearance tonight or on Sunday.
I am already excited to see Abildgaard in action, and once he is up to full speed, he could prove to be a brilliant addition to the Celtic squad.
In other news, Vasilis Barkas receives surprise international call-up after Celtic loan exit.
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