A story which looks set to dominate Celtic fans’ thoughts over the next few months will be the fitness of star left-back Kieran Tierney.
The Hoops left-back is set to undergo a double hernia operation at the end of the season. The player has been plagued with injury this season, so hopefully the operation will give him a clear run for next season.
What is most important for Celtic in the short-term is that the player is fit in time for the Hoops’ Champions League qualifiers.
Games will define season
The Hoops will be in a real quandary if Tierney misses the qualifiers. These games will define the season for the club, financially at least.
The good news for Celtic on that front is that Neil Lennon has revealed, as reported by BT Sport, that it will take Tierney ‘probably three or four weeks’ to recover from his injury.
Could be back in time for fixtures
That would mean he should be fit for the start of July, when the qualifiers begin.
However, he would need some playing time before then. It isn’t the best idea to put Tierney back into the side after an operation.
Therefore, it would perhaps make sense to play Jonny Hayes in the first two rounds of qualifying. That would give Tierney plenty of time to get up to speed in pre-season friendlies.
When the Bhoys face the last two rounds of qualifying, Tierney can slot back into the side.
That is all conjecture for the future though. For now, all at Celtic must hope that the operation is a success.
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