Celtic legend reveals what James McCarthy told him about fitness

With Celtic being handed a number of injury blows over the past few weeks, it is safe to say that Ange Postecoglou could do with all the help that he can get. The Hoops went into the Europa League group stage opening game against Real Betis with a number of their players out of action, and as a result, the team that the manager fielded was nowhere near their strongest.

All things considered, a 4-3 defeat away in Seville was not the worst result. But the Hoops will need to make sure that they get results in the upcoming games. Otherwise, this short span of time when a number of their players are injured could end up having a massive impact on their season.

One player who could have a big role to play is James McCarthy. He has not featured a lot ever since arriving at Parkhead this summer on a free transfer. And it looks like he might still be far from full fitness.

While speaking on BBC Sportsound and as reported by 67 Hail Hail, Pat Bonner said about the Celtic midfielder’s fitness:

"“He’s not fit though. I spoke to James at the weekend. He’s recovering. He’s had Covid and obviously his fitness isn’t up to standard, so I think that’s probably why he isn’t in the team.“He told me he was out for 16 days, that’s a long time to be out, and he hasn’t been able to train or anything.”"

McCarthy could have an important role to play for Celtic this season

It is safe to say that McCarthy is a great player when on the top of his game. But at the moment, he is not fit, which explains why he has not featured much in Postecoglou’s team over the past couple of months.

He could have an important role to play this season though. With Ryan Christie having left on transfer deadline day, options decreased in midfield late on. And with Ismaila Soro struggling in recent times, someone with the experience of McCarthy could certainly make a difference in the middle of the park.

What is promising is the fact that he came on against Real Betis in the 56th minute of the game and did have a decent time on the pitch. Hopefully, he can continue to get minutes here and there moving forward and build up his fitness.