Celtic defender Nir Bitton returned to Lennoxtown yesterday as Neil Lennon stated he won’t be rushed back into action.
Bitton had only just recovered from a foot injury to play for Israel in their Euro 2020 playoff with Scotland two weeks ago. However, just days later, he would test positive for Covid, meaning he missed the Rangers defeat on Saturday.
His absence was felt badly too, as two defensive errors led to Steven Gerrard’s men taking the points at Parkhead. Given Bitton’s strong performance in his last derby start – a 2-0 win at Ibrox in September 2019 – the game looked made up for him.
But as he made his return to Lennoxtown after his isolation period ended, Lennon provided an update on what he did yesterday as well as a message to supporters that the club will be taking their time with him.
As quoted by the Daily Record, Lennon said: “I spoke to Nir when he was isolating and he was pretty floored and had lost his sense of taste and smell.
“He was in today, and had a bit of testing and a walk around the grounds just to get some fresh air, but again we will have to assess him as we go along.
“It was great to see him back. Hopefully we will get him back into the routine of things but again I’m not going to gamble with anything. We are just going to make sure everything’s right before we do.”
Bitton must be considered a key part of the backline
It’s easy to forget just how good Bitton is at times. Against the likes of Riga and Hibernian, he was our standout player as he didn’t let a single centre-forward get past him.
Bitton’s transition from holding midfielder to centre-back has to be one of the most successful positional changes the club has managed in some time. So much so that he should be one of the first names on the team-sheet.
At the moment, Lennon is still having to stick with the defensive trio of Shane Duffy, Stephen Welsh, and Kris Ajer. But with Christopher Jullien’s injury looking like a bad one, Bitton’s return simply can’t come quickly enough.
There is no set time on when the Israeli could return either. Odsonne Edouard has still to make an appearance after picking up Covid, so it could be that we’re still waiting a week or two before we get Bitton back out on the field.
The same will also likely have to go for Hatem Elhamed too, who also tested positive on international duty with Bitton. He’ll add further depth to the backline when he returns to action.
So hopefully we’re not too far away from seriously strengthening our defence over the next couple of weeks. Bitton’s return to Lennoxtown is a promising step towards that.
In other news, the AC Milan boss has discussed his club’s summer interest in Kristoffer Ajer.
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