Celtic blow confirmed by Brendan Rodgers as fear comes true

Whenever it looks like Celtic’s season is picking up momentum, they are handed another hurdle to overcome. The club had been in good form lately and the 2-2 draw against Atletico Madrid in midweek was a result that must have boosted their confidence. Instead, they drew 0-0 against Hibernian at Easter Road to allow the Rangers to reduce the gap by two points.

On the other hand, one of their most important players looks set to be out of action for the foreseeable future as well. Reo Hatate suffered an injury against Atletico Madrid and looked very upset as he walked off the pitch.

Everybody would have been hoping that it was not a serious issue. But unfortunately, it has turned out to be one.

The extent of his injury is still not clear. But it has been confirmed by Brendan Rodgers that Hatate will not be back in action before Christmas at the very least.

Celtic blow confirmed by Rodgers as fear comes true

As reported by The Scottish Sun, Rodgers said about the status of Hatate:

"“We’re not 100 per cent sure on the exact time scale but he’s certainly going to be out until after Christmas we think.“It’s a shame and disappointing for him. He’s had a bit of a broken start to the season and this here will take him over the half-way point of the season.“It’s frustrating for someone who really commits himself to his game and his professionalism but he’s got great support from the coaches and the manager to the medical team.“Hopefully we can get him back sooner rather than later.”"

That is bad news for Celtic to say the very least. Hatate had already suffered and recovered from, an injury earlier in the season. And now, he is set to spend another spell on the sidelines.

One can only hope that Hatate returns to full fitness as soon as possible. It is never nice to see any player get injured and he is also one of the most important parts of this Celtic team. We wish him the best of luck in his recovery.

Rodgers will have a tough task on his hands, replacing someone of Hatate’s quality in the starting lineup. Paulo Bernardo seems to be next in the pecking order for the role and started against Hibernian. David Turnbull and Odin Thiago Holm are potential options as well.