Celtic defender Greg Taylor has lauded David Turnbull and noted the work he’s been putting in at Lennoxtown to get back fit and fighting again.
Turnbull ended a 3-month absence against Ross County on Saturday when he was given the final 16 minutes. It came after tearing his hamstring in the Premier Sports Cup final against Hibernian back in December.
Celtic have done remarkably well in Turnbull’s absence of course. Domestically, we’ve won 14 of our 16 games since David’s injury. The likes of Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley have stepped up and given Celtic an extra dimension in Turnbull’s absence.
But the entire dressing room was left delighted for David after his return at the weekend, and perhaps none more so than close friend Taylor. As quoted by the Scottish Sun, Taylor said: “It’s another big boost to have David back. He’s a goal threat from midfield and we’re incredibly strong in there. But you want that because it brings everyone up a level. Hopefully David can go on and contribute the way he was doing at the start of the season.
“It must have been hard for him when he was injured. We’ve not had it easy along the way. A lot of us have had quite long-term injuries and it was good to see David back. He’s a good friend of mine so I tried to keep his spirits high when he was down and he’s reacted really well and put in the work.
“He deserves everything he gets. We knew each other from the 21s but once you’re club team-mates you get that wee bit closer and he’s a top player and a top friend. It’s been a long hard road but that’s why you do all the work in rehab. I was really pleased for him, just as all the lads were. It was a nice game for him to come into.”
David Turnbull ready to make an impact at Celtic in title run-in
Turnbull being back fit and available is a huge boost to our title push. You can’t underestimate the options Celtic now have in the engine room as they look to keep things fresh for what will be our most intense period of the campaign.
Granted, there’s also an element of intrigue with regards to what happens next. Does Turnbull automatically get his spot in the team back now that he’s fully fit?
It’s extremely difficult to identify Ange Postecoglou’s pecking order at the moment when it comes to the central midfield positions. Outside of Callum McGregor, nobody is guaranteed a spot when every big game comes around.
Turnbull, of course, was the stalwart next to Callum in the first half of the campaign. He was certainly having a productive one too with 9 goals and 7 assists before his injury [Transfermarkt]. Whether he just picks up from where he left off remains to be seen.
Ange has, of course, already backed him to play a key role in the title run-in. David produced performance after performance in the first half of the campaign. But it’s difficult to keep the likes of O’Riley and Hatate benched regularly too.
The manager, at the very least, has a host of options at his disposal. That’s exactly where he would want to be at this stage of the season.
In other news, Celtic’s Giorgos Giakoumakis rinsed rivals 4 weeks ago; his response has been emphatic
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