![Celtic's Greek Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou attends a press conference at Celtic Park in Glasgow on October 24, 2022, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League Group F football match against Shakhtar Donetsk. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by ANDY BUCHANAN has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Celtic's Greek Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou] instead of [Celtic's English goalkeeper Joe Hart ]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/9dce004c691f42eb863841de1e075dd817c90867bff36d432d1784948871668a.jpg "Celtic's Greek Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou attends a press conference at Celtic Park in Glasgow on October 24, 2022, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League Group F football match against Shakhtar Donetsk. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by ANDY BUCHANAN has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Celtic's Greek Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou] instead of [Celtic's English goalkeeper Joe Hart ]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)")
Celtic find themselves in a terrific position in the league right now, leading the Rangers by seven points already. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side are showing no signs of turning things around either, as it feels like the Dutch manager is starting to run out of ideas and feel the pressure at Ibrox, with the fans on his back. But while the Hoops might be starting to feel confident of their chances of retaining the title, Ange Postecoglou does not have any plans of resting on his laurels.
In fact, Celtic are expected to get their January business done early once again and seem to have laid the foundations already.
Yet, one of their plans might have been ruined completely after recent events. Earlier, it had been reported by Football Insider that Celtic would listen to offers for James McCarthy in January, as they were keen to free up space on their wage bill and find a new club for him.
But now, as tweeted out by PLZ Soccer, Postecoglou has revealed that McCarthy is out with a significant hamstring injury. That means that it might be a while before he is back in action.
Celtic’s January transfer plan has been derailed due to injury
Questions had been raised when Celtic decided to hand a four-year deal to someone like McCarthy who already had a long injury history and was 30 years of age when he arrived last summer.
And it is safe to say that things have not worked out for him in Glasgow. Now, as it looked like the club were planning to part ways, he has suffered what looks like a long-term injury.
One would think that the recent injury, combined with his history of fitness problems and his current deal, which is believed to be a lucrative one, would prevent a lot of clubs from making offers for the midfielder in January.