Celtic boss Neil Lennon has confirmed that both Marian Shved and Vakoun Issouf Bayo are both back in training.
The duo have been out for varying periods, but neither have played competitively this season. Shved was injured before the opening Champions League qualifying tie against Sarajevo. Bayo, meanwhile, picked up a knock after our second pre-season game of the season.
There is a catch, of course. Tomorrow will likely come too soon for the Hoops duo. The clash against Nomme Kalju at Parkhead is one of many vitally important matches in this early stage of the campaign. Unfortunately, however, it looks as though both Bayo and Shved will still have to miss out.
Speaking at his press conference via Celtic TV, Lennon confirmed the duo were back training with the squad.
Marian Shved and Vakoun Issouf Bayo will get their opportunities
It’s a great boost that both players won’t be out for a long period of time. Lennon hasn’t gone into detail about when we should expect them back, but clearly it won’t be in the long-term.
Both men should be a fair bit along in their fitness levels regardless. Shved had a full pre-season training camp with the Hoops, whilst Bayo managed most of it before picking up his injury.
The opening game of the season against St Johnstone at Celtic Park looks a reasonable target for the pair. If they can get back earlier than that then that’s also a big bonus. But it’s vital that we get both players up to full fitness before the Premiership campaign begins.
For the opening few weeks of the season, Celtic are going to have to deal with weekend matches followed by mid-week encounters. With Champions League and League Cup matches hopefully on the agenda, that’s the price we have to pay if we want to stay successful.
So having both men back for that period would be a big boost. You could argue whether either man would start tomorrow even if they were fit for it in any case.
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