Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate heads a list of SEVEN crocked first-team stars facing a fitness race for the upcoming Glasgow derby against Rangers at Ibrox on September 3rd.
Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers will be monitoring his growing injury list closely ahead of an important run of fixtures for the Parkhead club, with Hatate and Cameron Carter-Vickers becoming the latest players to pay a visit to the Lennoxtown treatment table.
The pair were forced off during Sunday’s 3-1 Scottish Premiership victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie and while there has been no fresh update on the state of play with regards to their respective injuries, rumours that both stars could be set for a short period on the sidelines would be a massive blow for the Scottish champions.
Here, GlasgowWorld takes a look at the current injury situation of seven Celtic players and when they are on course to return to competitive action:
1. Celtic injury timeline PAP (GlasW)
Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate was injured midway through the second half. Photo: Rob Casey - SNS Group
2. Oh Hyeon-gyu: 5 weeks
The South Korean striker was ruled out for up to a month and a half last week with a calf injury picked up against Athletic Bilbao. It wasn’t until he spoke to the club’s medical team in training a few days later that he’d felt the problem. Photo: Craig Williamson - SNS Group
3. Alistair Johnston: 2 weeks
The Canadian right-back hasn’t been included in a matchday squad since damaging his ankle in April’s Scottish Cup semi-final win over Rangers, but is now “back on the grass running” according to Brendan Rodgers and will be “upping his intensity” in the coming days. Photo: Craig Williamson - SNS Group
4. Reo Hatate: 4 weeks
The Japanese midfielder suffered what looked like a calf strain against Aberdeen at Pittodrie but it turns out he has sustained a Grade 2 calf tear. A month-long absence is predicted, putting the midfielder’s involvement against Rangers into doubt on Sept 3. Photo: Craig Foy - SNS Group