Ange Postecoglou has confirmed some of the injury news that Celtic fans have been trying to piece together all week, speaking at a media conference this afternoon.
Cameron Carter-Vickers will play against Motherwell on Saturday afternoon, the managed stated in a rather stern and forthright manner, refusing to be drawn by journalists on any of the reports this week regarding surgery or injury issues.
The American international has been in training at Lennoxtown all week, he reassured. If he comes through Saturday’s test with no issues, he’ll also feature against Rangers at Hampden.
However, without naming names the manager also confirmed that nobody else would be returning to contention in his squad this weekend despite being closer to joining in on the action.
That would seem to rule out Jota, Reo Hatate and Liel Abada from this weekend’s match. Abada was spotted in Lennoxtown training this morning but, having been out for a number of weeks, tomorrow may just have been too soon for him.
Everyone will be hoping that the trio can get back to fitness in time for the upcoming semi-final against Rangers. But at this stage it might be more prudent to rely on the players who have been playing week-to-week recently. It’s not a game for players who aren’t fully match sharp.
Postecoglou appears to dislike getting drawn into injury speculation and has been keeping his updates shorter than ever in recent weeks.
He’ll be fully focused on who he sees in training and for the next game rather than trying to predict the future.
Nonetheless, these will be ongoing concerns for supporters who like to know exactly what shape the squad is in for some really important matches on the horizon. Right now, Carter-Vickers returns but it’s the status quo elsewhere.
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