Celtic release strong statement following Ryan Christie news

Celtic have released an official statement after news broke out that Ryan Christie has been ordered to spend 14 days in isolation.

Luck has certainly not been on Celtic’s side during this international break. First, Odsonne Edouard tested positive last night in what was a huge blow for the Hoops. There is little chance now that the Frenchman will be able to take part in the upcoming Glasgow Derby. And now, it looks like Ryan Christie is set to join him in the list of players Neil Lennon will be missing on October 17th.

Earlier today news broke out that Stuart Armstrong had tested positive for the virus as well while on international duty with the Scottish national team. Ryan Christie and Kieran Tierney were identified as those with close contacts with the player and as a result, both of them have been ordered to 14 days in isolation as well. It is noteworthy though that both the players tested negative.

The decision has huge implications for Celtic as they already look set to miss James Forrest and Odsonne Edouard against the Rangers and can now Christie’s name to that list as well.

The club released an official statement after the news broke out and it is safe to say that they did not sound happy:

"Clearly we are disappointed and frustrated to learn of today’s news, however, our over-riding concern is of course the health of the players and staff concerned."

They also were quick to add that those who had stayed behind in Lennoxtown had all returned negative results:

"The Celtic squad based at Lennoxtown have all again returned negative test results today.  In addition all other players currently on international duty, outwith Odsonne as reported yesterday, have reported negative tests."

One has to question the thought process behind organising international games in the middle of a global pandemic. It is already clear that the risk of infection has been increased by overseas travel as well as the players interacting with teammates from different clubs around the world. And at this point, one cannot do anything else but hope that the situation does not escalate further.