Former Celtic winger Gary Mackay-Steven is on the brink of a return from injury that has kept him out of action for over a year and it could come against the Bhoys themselves on Sunday.
The attacker has been training with Kilmarnock for the last month and officially signed a short-term deal with the Ayrshire club last week.
He made it onto the bench for their fixture at Aberdeen on Wednesday night and is now in line to feature as a substitute against his old club on Sunday.
Gary Mackay-Steven feared he wouldn’t play again
The 33-year-old told reporters this weekend he worried he wouldn’t recover from the foot injury suffered against Fiorentina while at Hearts, but is now ready to take the next step towards a consistent return to the top flight.
Mackay-Steven said [Daily Record]: “I was trying to do everything I could every day. Not have too many expectations but do everything I could to get over it and thankfully I did in the end.
“It was just a feeling of ‘will I get back to playing football?’ I wasn’t thinking about any particular level. I just felt there were times when I was still in a lot of pain and thinking would I ever get over the injury. So every day now is a positive and a bonus almost.
“I broke my foot by also did the lisfranc ligament which took longer to heal than the broken bone.”
Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes told Sky Sports yesterday that while Mackay-Steven is still a way off from starting matches, he is now ready to earn minutes.
Mackay-Steven signed for Celtic from Dundee United during the Ronny Deila era and went on to make 62 appearances in all competitions, including ten under Brendan Rodgers during the 2016/17 Invincibles season.
It’d be a nice moment for him to make a return in such a big game, although Rodgers and company won’t be indulging in sentiment as they hunt for the three points.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers’ verdict on Nat Phillips Celtic loan as Liverpool return looms.
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