Celtic loan defender Maik Nawrocki has suffered an injury you won't often hear about, and it adds to his long list of setbacks.
The Polish centre-back, on loan to Hannover 96 in the second tier of German football, twisted his back getting changed into clothes while at his own home. He was chosen to play against Holstein Kiel, and this occurred on the morning of the game, meaning he was forced to miss out.
Hannover boss, Christian Titz, said:
"He felt a twinge in his back this morning when he was quickly changing his clothes. The club doctor examined the player, and he couldn't play. At this stage, we don't know how long he will be out for."
Nawrocki signed for Celtic in 2023 for a fee of £4.3 million and was sent out on loan at the start of the season. Hannover will have the option to sign the player on a permanent basis at the end of his loan deal.
Time to move on the forgotten defender
This isn't the first setback the defender has had out on loan, as constant injuries meant he didn't end up making his debut for Hannover until the end of October. Across the season as a whole, he has only started eight times in the Bundesliga 2.
Last season for Celtic, he made just three appearances in the Scottish Premiership, and everyone can agree that it's time to get the defender off our books for good.
Hopefully, Hannover will decide to make the transfer permanent at the end of the summer, but if not, we'll have to hope that there are clubs that still see the potential in the Polish defender.
When he first joined up with the Celts, supporters had high expectations, and although he has put in a few good performances, he has largely failed to meet them. He didn't manage to establish himself under former manager Brendan Rodgers, despite some still touting him at the time as the future of Celtic's defence.
He was often left out of the matchday squad altogether, and that won't have helped the player's match fitness and mental state. He clearly didn't match the manager's vision, and he doesn't seem like the type of player who Martin O'Neill would call upon either.
Surprisingly, he isn't actually the worst player brought in during the summer transfer window in 2023. Celtic made a total of nine signings, and although two of those signings, Yang and Paulo Bernardo, have paid back their worth, the rest can safely be considered flops.
Not including the aforementioned two, Celtic signed Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Marco Tilio, Odin Thiago Holm, Nat Phillips, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Tomoki Iwata, Nawrocki, and Luis Palma.
We still have more than Nawrocki contracted to the club as well, with Palma and Holm out on loan. Most supporters would be happy for the club to ship off all three remaining players so we can finally put the disaster of the 2023 window to rest.