Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has stated that Jota will recover from injury in time for the match against Livingston this weekend.
The 57-year-old has been updating the media on his squad’s latest injury briefing ahead of tomorrow night’s penultimate Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that midfielder David Turnbull would return to the squad after missing the Hoops’ last few games.
Carl Starfelt, a Swedish defender, was also observed in the first-team group earlier today. However, Postecoglou noted that his return will not be in tomorrow’s game because he is still getting up to speed.
Celtic winger Jota, who has missed the last four games due to injury, was noticeably absent from first-team training at Lennoxtown earlier today.
Ange Postecoglou has been tight-lipped on the 23-year-old’s recovery from a recent hit. However, supporters were given a brief injury timeline for when he should be anticipated to return.
For the Portuguese attacker, Tuesday’s match against Shakhtar comes too soon. However, Celtic manager Neil Lennon expects Jota to be available for Sunday’s Scottish Premiership match against Livingston.
Speaking in a press conference, Ange said: “David Turnbull is alright. Carl (Starfelt) is back in training, which is great. It will be too early tomorrow, but the idea is to get him back in training over the next few days and see how he goes.
“Jota, again, he sort of had his last rehab session today. So, he is expected to start training with us after tomorrow’s game and be available for the weekend.”
Although Celtic will be losing a few crucial players in the next weeks, Ange Postecoglou will be glad to welcome back Turnbull and Jota.
All three players on the verge of returning were vital assets in the Hoops’ double-winning squad last season and have continued to contribute significantly this season.
This year, Postecoglou may have assembled a more formidable squad. However, he has been missing certain key figures in the Celtic Park dressing room at various points during the previous few months.
So it will be fantastic to see those players return and be ready to go for a potentially massive run of fixtures leading up to and following the World Cup.
