Celtic midfielder James McCarthy has suffered a ‘significant’ hamstring injury, Ange Postecoglou has stated in today’s pre-match press conference.
PLZ Soccer has reported the news from their access to the media event.
It’s a serious blow to the 31-year-old, who has already been struggling for game time since arriving at the club last summer.
McCarthy has yet to start a game this season, appearing off the bench on five occasions – most recently in the League Cup clash away to Motherwell last month.
His last appearance in a starting eleven came in the 3-1 victory over St Johnstone on Boxing Day 2021, with arrivals such as Matt O’Riley and Reo Hatate pushing him down the pecking order the following month.
Competition for midfield places has only increased since the summer with the arrivals of Aaron Mooy and Oliver Abildgaard. Even attackers Sead Haksabanovic and Kyogo Furuhashi have been preferred in a central area.
McCarthy signed a four-year contract at the club in 2021 so still has a fair chunk of time left on the books at the Bhoys, though it was hard to see where he fits in moving forward even before this injury news.
Clearly we wish him all the best with his recovery and hope it’s not too long before he can participate in training again.
In other news, The Green Brigade announce incredible fundraising total after Celtic supporter generosity.
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