Celtic midfielder James McCarthy picked up yet another fresh injury as his Motherwell squad absence was explained by Ange Postecoglou.
Hoops fans were left baffled and frustrated by the fact that McCarthy wasn’t part of the matchday squad at Fir Park on Saturday. That’s despite the fact he’s already taken over two and a half months to get up to speed.
Even now, McCarthy still doesn’t look to be anywhere near the starting XI. The former Crystal Palace man didn’t have a proper pre-season after being released by the London club, but Celtic supporters are becoming concerned at how long it’s taking him to make an impact in Glasgow.
Being left out in North Lanarkshire was a particularly bad look. However, Postecoglou has revealed this was precautionary due to a muscle injury picked up by the player.
As quoted by the Scotsman, Postecoglou said: “It is difficult for him because he didn’t have a proper pre-season. The ones who came in late have found it hard because everyone else had already started and they didn’t have that fitness base. That means they have to catch up and push themselves at training and we train pretty hard here anyway: plus the games are intense.
“So it’s only reasonable, and he’s not the only one – a couple of others have struggled while trying to get up to speed. James had a good ten-day block during the international break so this is just a minor setback for him, nothing significant.
“We’re just erring on the side of caution. He trained [on Monday], but on his own. We didn’t want to rush him back so we’ll see how it goes by the end of the week. It’s just a small muscular problem, so we’re hoping he’ll be available.”
James McCarthy can’t afford small Celtic setbacks
It’s all well and good saying it’s just a small setback for McCarthy, but it’s another injury problem out of absolutely nowhere. And it comes at a time when he should be banging the door down to be involved in the starting XI.
The point being that it feels as if it’s been setback after setback for the Irishman. This isn’t what many envisaged when he signed for the club back in the summer.
Celtic know they have a real talent in McCarthy. It’s why they gave him a four-year deal, even if that looks like terrible judgement upon reflection. The Celtic fans know of his quality too after a fine decade-long career in England and on the international stage.
But McCarthy isn’t going to be much use to the Hoops if he’s going to be on the treatment table regularly with mini-setbacks. We need more consistency from him.
We’re now edging into late October. Can you honestly say McCarthy has been anywhere near the success Postecoglou hoped he would be? It’s all well and good saying that it’s been difficult for him, but the same goes for many other new signings.
Hopefully, we get a glimpse of the Irish international this weekend against St Johnstone. We need to start seeing glimpses of what he’s going to bring to the party.
In other news, Ferencvaros manager admits he “loves’ Celtic philosophy under Ange Postecoglou
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