Dundee manager James McPake has commented on Celtic loanee Jonathan Afolabi’s injury as he briefly admitted the striker will be “touch and go” for tonight.
The Championship side face Cove Rangers in their Betfred Cup group stage encounter at Dens Park this evening. However, the game comes just days after Afolabi had to come off in a league match at Alloa just 40 minutes in.
It seemed innocuous at the time, but it appeared that the striker had picked up an ankle or leg knock given the manner in which he left the pitch. The Courier today reported that it was a hamstring injury.
McPake has been previewing tonight’s game against Cove, and as he ran through his injury list, the state of play with Afolabi was much brighter than it initially looked.
As quoted by the Courier, McPake said: “Afolabi is better but he’s touch and go as well. We’ve a few missing.”
Vital for Afolabi to stay injury-free this season
As Afolabi continues to settle at Dens Park, he’ll be looking to make an impact now that he’s into the second year of his three-year Celtic deal. If he wants the Hoops to put their faith in him for the long-term, he could do with having a storming season in Scotland’s second-tier.
The Ireland under-21 international was robbed of that opportunity last season when things were going well at Dunfermline Athletic. The global health pandemic meant that Afolabi had to call time on his spell at East End Park, thus delaying his progress.
Celtic have sent him down to the Championship once again and to a team who will have eyes on promotion this season. So far, he’s started decently enough with one goal in four games, and is clearly winning over the Dundee supporters with his early-season performances.
That’s a good start, but a long-term injury is something he just doesn’t need just now. Not this season when he’s trying to show both the Celtic fans and management what he’s all about if he gets a run of games.
Looking ahead, Afolabi will see four top-class strikers ahead of him in the pecking order in Glasgow. Being realistic, he’s going to need to make some big strides before he can compete with them. That’s what makes this season so vital for him, and why he should be delighted with his productive start in Tayside.
Hopefully, he features tonight and gets back on the goal trail. However, so long as his hamstring injury is nothing too serious, that’s good enough for now.
In other news, a Sparta Prague star has called out Neil Lennon’s “huge mistake” last week.
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