One of Celtic’s biggest problems last season were injuries. With the squad not the deepest, Ange Postecoglou often had to play players out of position. Josip Juranovic featuring at left-back as well as on the wings is a prime example of that. This time around, the picture will hopefully be a lot different, with the Hoops having a much fuller roster of players. But that does not mean that they do not have their fair share of fitness worries.
One area which has been a worry for them in pre-season is their defence. It was great to see them get a 2-0 win over Norwich City, because Celtic have struggled to keep clean sheets and hold on to leads recently.
A major reason behind that has to be the absence of Carl Starfelt. He got injured while representing the Swedish national team and has missed the entirety of pre-season.
Postecoglou has provided a promising injury update on the player though, as it looks like he could be back available soon. As reported by the Daily Record, the Celtic manager said:
"“We’re hoping he’ll join in training at some point this week. He’s in the last stages and doing all the physical stuff away from the group. So knock on wood, he’s passed every stage and the handover to the football department should happen next week. That means that hopefully within a week or two he’s ready to go.”"
Postecoglou has delivered a fresh Celtic injury update on Starfelt
Celtic will be hoping to have Starfelt back in action as soon as possible. He formed a formidable duo in the heart of defence with Cameron Carter-Vickers last season, which played a huge part in the Hoops’ Premiership and League Cup double win.
Celtic do have Stephen Welsh available as well but he does not look ready to be a regular starter for the club yet. On the other hand, they have brought in Moritz Jenz on a season-long loan from Lorient and it will be very interesting to see how he does. It is hard to see Christopher Jullien making a big contribution and the Frenchman could very well be on his way out of the club as well.
At this point of time, we can only wish Starfelt the best in his recovery and hope that he is fit and back on the pitch in the very near future.