Neil Lennon has reiterated that Nir Bitton shouldn’t be fit for Israel’s international fixtures, but does believe he could be available for Rangers’ visit on October 17th.
Bitton went on international duty despite picking up an ankle knock in the 1-0 win against Sarajevo last Thursday. Lennon immediately stated that it would be “impossible” for him to feature in their triple-header against Scotland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia (Daily Record).
Initially, Lennon stated that Bitton would likely be out for around “maybe three to four weeks” (The Herald). However, it looks as though that time-frame has been reduced as the Celtic boss has now admitted that could be fit for the Rangers clash in just 10 days’ time.
The game against Steven Gerrard’s will come just over two weeks after Bitton picked up his injury, but Lennon appears to be optimistic.
As quoted by the Daily Record, the manager said: “I don’t think he’ll be fit to play for them. I reckon he won’t be ready for that until the first game after the break.”
Big decision to be made tomorrow
Despite the noises coming from the Celtic manager, the Scottish Sun reported yesterday that Israel are desperate to select Bitton for tomorrow night’s Euro 2020 playoff against Scotland.
It’s going to be a massively bold decision from the Israelis if Bitton does feature, but the Sun report that they’re looking to reduce the swelling in order for him to make an impact at Hampden.
Lennon will undoubtedly be keeping an keen eye on what happens tomorrow night. However, if Bitton was to suffer another serious injury or be given a further set-back of any kind, you can bet the Celtic boss will have some words for both him and Israel manager Willibald Ruttensteiner.
In truth, it’s not likely that Bitton will start against Rangers in any case. With Shane Duffy, Kris Ajer, Hatem Elhamed, and Christopher Jullien all available, it would be a risk to throw him in for such a high-stakes game when he’s just back from injury.
But Lennon will want to ensure the safety of his players regardless of whether they’re at Lennoxtown or on international duty. Ruttensteiner, and any other international manager for that matter, has a duty of care towards them during these international periods.
So all eyes are on tomorrow night at Hampden. If Bitton’s included, expect Lennon to be absolutely fuming.
In other news, a Premiership star is still clearly frustrated after suffering heartache against Celtic.
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