Celtic player's season 'probably' over as transfer decision taken amid brutal 16 week assessment
Celtic have terminated the defender’s season-long loan spell early due to a season-ending calf injury
Livingston manager David Martindale has revealed Celtic loanee Adam Montgomery’s season is “probably over” after the defender suffered a recurrence of the calf injury that has kept him sidelined since October.
The 23-year-old left-back, who has been on the books of the Scottish champions since 2009 and gained senior experience across six separate loan spells, is now facing up to four months on the treatment table.
And Martindale has thanked the Hoops for displaying a “touch of class” by agreeing to cut short his temporary stint in West Lothian to allow their Premiership rivals to free up a wage for Livi to replace him.
A club statement read: “We can confirm that defender Adam Montgomery has returned to parent club Celtic. Having joined the Lions in July, Adam got off to a fantastic start with a debut goal in a 6-0 Premier Sports Cup victory over Kelty Hearts.
“He would go on to feature 9 times for the Lions, before an injury away to Hibs in October would see him sidelined since. After nearing a return from his rehab, sadly, a further injury will see Adam miss another good part of the season and as such, the 23-year-old has returned to Celtic Park.”
What has David Martindale said?
He declared: “It’s bad news with Adam. He’s been re-injured and that’s probably his season over.
“He’s been back at Celtic doing his rehab and had been coming here a day a week to keep him in and around the group, but he’s suffered a setback and it’s a very similar injury to the one he picked up at Easter Road that put him out in the first place.
“There are two or three muscles within the calf impacted and I’m gutted for him. He was fantastic for us, but Celtic have been phenomenal and it’s a massive thank you to Shaun Maloney, Stephen McManus and Chris McCart.
“He’ll probably be out another 16 weeks, but they have agreed to terminate the agreement. That has freed up the finances for us to go and find a replacement for Adam. They didn’t have to do that and that shows the class of Celtic. They’re a big club. I would like to think I would do that for a club smaller than us as well.
“But they didn’t have to. They haven’t said, ‘You’ve signed a loan agreement until the end of the season, it’s on you’. The boy got injured with us too. He injured himself again during his rehab, but his original injury was with us at Easter Road.
“I think that shows the class of the people there that have made the decisions. I know that goes right up to the top level, up to chief executive level. He is the one who got that signed off. I think that shows there is a lot of class in Celtic Football Club, a lot of class.”