Celtic winger James Forrest will be out of action until well into the new year, Neil Lennon has confirmed to today’s newspapers.
Speaking at the start of November, the Hoops boss had initially hoped that the winger would be out of action for six to eight weeks, giving him a chance to return for the upcoming derby against Rangers (Evening Express).
However, a fresh update today brings bad news for Celtic supporters.
Lennon told The Scottish Sun: “He is coming off the crutches at the weekend, which is a step in the right direction.
“We’re probably looking at the end of January. By then we will have an idea of where he is.”
So it seems there are another six weeks without Forrest, at the very least.
By the sounds of it, February will have started by the time we see him take to the pitch in any meaningful fashion.
That’s a significant problem given our lack of wide options.
Ryan Christie has been slotted into a right flank position over the last couple of months, but that’s far from an ideal solution, not least because it stifles what Christie can offer the team.
We simply don’t have the depth right now to cope without Forrest deep into the latter stages of the season, so hopefully the Scotland international is back as soon as possible.
If he suffers a further setback, the need for an incoming winger in the January transfer window will be even more urgent.
In other news, the Celtic manager has provided an update on Karamoko Dembele.
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