Celtic seem to be a good post, fitness-wise, heading into the Scottish League Cup semi-final against Aberdeen. The two major worries that they had ahead of the game were surrounding Adam Idah and Callum McGregor. The Irish striker was on the receiving end of a red card tackle against Motherwell and had to wear a moon boot afterwards. On the other hand, the club captain has missed the last couple of matches.
Fortunately, both of them are fine going into the League Cup semi-final. That is great news because Aberdeen are flying at the moment and Celtic need every bit of help they can get.
There is one player who won't be part of the squad though and has not been for a while now. It is Odin Thiago Holm.
There had never really been any explanation for the midfielder's absence. He came on as a late substitute in the first three league games of the season and has not been included in the squad since. Many wondered whether there had been a falling out behind the scenes. And now, we finally have some clarity on the situation of Holm.
Celtic player's absence from squad finally explained
It looks like Holm has been dealing with a calf injury. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, Brendan Rodgers said ahead of the Aberdeen game:
"We are in a really good place. Everyone is fit and healthy. We’ve only got one in Odin who’s been out for a little while with his calves."
Holm had arrived amid a lot of expectations in the summer of 2023. Back in Norway, he was dubbed by many as the 'Next Martin Odegaard'. So, it is not hard to understand why Celtic fans might have been excited by his potential.
A little over a year on and it feels like things are not going to work out for Holm at Celtic. Even before the injury, he was not playing much and has never really been an important part of Rodgers' plans. With the summer arrivals of Arne Engels and Luke McCowan as well as the permanent signing of Paulo Bernardo, the Norwegian has slipped further down the pecking order and there is very little chance of him getting back into the fold.