Celtic fans were left worried when Jota was not pictured in training recently. And then he was not included in the squad that took on Kilmarnock away at Rugby. Another player missing on the day was Cameron Carter-Vickers. They are two of the club’s most important players. So it should not come as any surprise that the fans were left concerned about the situation.
Celtic might be in a commanding position in the title race, but they still have big games left this season. They need to get over the line in the Premiership and have the Scottish Cup up for grabs as well, as they will be taking on the Rangers in the semi final.
So, they will surely want to have their best players available. Thankfully, it looks like there is nothing to be concerned about the situation of Jota and Carter-Vickers, and the duo were given a bit of rest, keeping the Rugby Par surface in mind.
As reported by 67 Hail Hail, Ange Postecoglou said while speaking to BBC Sportsound about the matter:
"“It was a combination of things. The pitch is not too kind to them. They pulled up pretty sore the last time they played on here. But I also wanted to freshen up the team a bit.“Haksabanovic, Tomoki and Yuki Kobayashi have been working hard at training and hopefully, they will bring some energy I think we are going to need today.”"
Celtic boss offers news about Jota and Carter-Vickers amid injury fears
Thus, it looks like there is nothing to be worried about when it comes to Jota and Carter-Vickers. And hopefully, they will be available in the upcoming games.
On the other hand, the team must be commended for the job that they did away at Rugby Park, even without some of their key players. They were 4-0 up inside 27 minutes and had put the game to bed by then already.
Matt O’Riley got himself a brace while Kyogo and Daizen Maeda scored a goal each as well. It was a successful outing to say the very least and put them one step closer to retaining the league title. Of course, fans will have an eye on the Scottish Cup semi final as well.