International breaks can always get tense for fans of club football, as players can pick up fitness issues while away with their national teams. And unfortunately, in the case of one Celtic player, that might have come true. It looks like he has picked up a problem but the extent of it remains unclear for now.
The player we are talking about is none other than Daizen Maeda. The Japanese forward has been on the receiving end of quite some criticism this season. He admitted that he was keen on a move away in the summer and his form has not been up to the mark lately.
That being said, he did score a late winner in the comeback 3-2 win against Motherwell. That raised hopes that he could be moving in the right direction once again.
But as reported by Gekisaka, on the 9th of October, Maeda refrained from training due to tightness in his left foot. During the full training session on the 8th, he completed the first 15 minutes of the training session open to the press, suggesting that his condition may have changed during that day. It's certain that he will miss the Paraguay match.
Celtic player picks up injury blow on international duty
The extent of the problem is still not clear. But the fact that he is still with the national team is cause for optimism. If it were a serious matter, one would imagine that he would have already been sent back to Celtic.
An injury up front is not something that Celtic can afford at this point in time. They are already light on options in that area of the pitch.
Kelechi Iheanacho has done well since arriving as a free agent. But other than that, Maeda is the only one capable of leading the line.