The Israeli midfielder has been out since February with a knee injury. He was scheduled to return in September, but suffered a setback in his recovery.
Celtic have missed someone who can play in a variety of positions since he was struck down injured.
He filled in at centre back during last year’s Champions League qualifiers. He looked assured on the ball and had an excellent game during Celtic’s 5-0 win over Astana.
The centre of defence became his home last season, and with Celtic’s injuries piling up at the start of the season in defence, Bitton’s presence was lacking.
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Under Rodgers, Bitton has made 56 appearances in just over one and a half seasons. He was the mainstay in midfield alongside Scott Brown in Rodgers’ early spell.
With the arrival of Olivier Ntcham last year, it looked like the former Ashdod midfielder may be the odd man out.
But he reinvented himself as a ball-playing centre half, and didn’t too too bad a job of it.
A timely gift
Although he is not ready for first team action just yet, Bitton’s return will prove timely for Celtic.
They are heading into a tough run of fixtures over the winter period. It is imperative they keep up their good form.
Ideally, Celtic would have all their players to choose from during this period.
With that not being the case, they’ll take reinforcements in any shape or form.