A host of Celtic’s injured players have reportedly made strong gains in their recovery over the last short while.
According to the Scottish Sun, Daniel Arzani, Tom Rogic, Eboue Kouassi, and Vakoun Issouf Bayo all returned to training last week. The newspaper claims that both Arzani and Rogic only returned to training on Friday. The duo haven’t played for the Hoops yet this season, but now look on the road to doing so.
Kouassi, meanwhile, has been out since the Betfred Cup win over Hearts all the way back in October. He suffered cruciate ligament damage, and didn’t feature for the rest of the season at Parkhead. The Sun believes Kouassi is closing in on a return to full contact sessions, but he’s still continuing his recovery work at the moment.
As for Bayo, he’s apparently expected to return within a week. He suffered a minor hamstring scare in the win against Wiener Sportclub during our second game of pre-season. Ironically, it came just after he had scored a stunning goal to win us the game.
So all four are at different stages of their recovery. All four, however, are back in training and seem close to full-fitness once again.
Celtic’s injured players have a place in the squad
All four of the injured quartet could have a big role to play this season if they remain injury free.
Rogic’s abilities and usefulness to the squad doesn’t need an introduction. As for Arzani, however, he’s only made one appearance in green-and-white, and is into the final year of his loan deal at Parkhead. The time for an impact is now, and we’ll be tasked with rivaling Mikey Johnston and Scott Sinclair for the left-wing berth. We spoke several days ago about how that challenge has changed in difficulty.
Kouassi has it all to prove at Celtic, meanwhile. He’s shown flashes of what he can be capable of when in-form. Just ask Harry Cochrane (The Scotsman). But at the end of the day, it’s difficult to build a case for a player who’s made only 22 appearances in two-and-a-half years.
It’s a big year for Kouassi. You get the feeling he’s running out of time to make that impression too. Nothing’s been confirmed by the club, but he’s beginning to make people wonder whether we’ll ever get our value out of him.
Bayo, however, must be itching to rival Leigh Griffiths and Odsonne Edouard up front. He’s shown incredible physique and dominance in the air, and offers Celtic an alternative going forward. The sooner he returns, the better a look we can all get of him.
But, at the moment, it’s fair to say it’s just great to see all four edging their way back to full fitness. With a bit of luck, it’s the last the quartet see of the treatment room for some time.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
