Celtic have been dealt a double injury blow ahead of their upcoming Scottish League Cup semi-final.
What’s the latest?
In recent comments cited by the Daily Record, Ange Postecoglou revealed that both Christopher Jullien and Greg Taylor will not be available for selection against St Johnstone next weekend, as the pair are yet to fully recover from their respective injuries.
Speaking about the fitness of the aforementioned duo, the 56-year-old Bhoys boss said: “Chris and Greg won’t make the semi-final and it might be into December for them.
“I don’t like putting an end date on it, as they could surprise me and come back earlier, or they could get a setback and be longer. But they are both working hard and they are both looking good. They have different hurdles to overcome.
“With Greg, it’s about getting clearance for his shoulder. We have had good news on that. The last update is that it has healed well, so as soon as he gets the all-clear he is pretty much ready to play.
“With Chris, it’s a little more difficult as he will need some sort of game-time and it’s about picking the right moment to put him in.”
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Fans will be gutted
With Postecoglou initially claiming in July of this year that Jullien would be back in first-team action in September, before suggesting in that very month that the defender would return in October, the news that the centre-back’s return date has once again been pushed back will be gutting for Celtic fans, who will be growing increasingly concerned the longer the Frenchman remains sidelined.
Indeed, the £4.95m-rated defender was a rock at the back over his nine Premiership fixtures prior to his injury last year, helping his side five clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 3.6 clearances and winning 6.9 duels per game – with these returns seeing the 28-year-old average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.43.
Meanwhile, the news of Taylor’s continued absence will also come as a major blow to Celtic fans, as Postecoglou has often been left with no other choice than to field right-back Josip Juranovic on the left-hand side of his defence as a result of a lack of depth at left-back.
However, while the unavailability of the stricken defensive pair is certainly a blow for Celtic, the club’s recent form would suggest that, even without the services of Jullien and Taylor, the Bhoys have a decent chance of qualifying for the Scottish League Cup final.
In other news: Ange must sanction Celtic swoop for “immense” 6ft3 colossus, he wouldn’t cost a penny