Great news as Celtic player edges closer to return

Celtic have had quite a few injuries to contend with this season. Several key players have missed quite a few games already. The summer signings haven’t quite worked as expected either and it has all combined to limit Brendan Rodgers' selection options. Seeing Nicolas Kuhn and Kyogo Furuhashi finding better form against St Johnstone has certainly come as a relief in a time of need. 

Hopefully, Rodgers is now getting closer to having a reasonably full squad available after the international break. Cameron Carter-Vickers' return last weekend was a significant step towards that.

This week saw Reo Hatate getting closer to a return too. He had been an important player for the Hoops in the previous two campaigns. His time on the pitch this season though has been limited as he struggled to remain fit for any considerable length of time.

The start of the season saw David Turnbull being selected ahead of Hatate. A hamstring injury picked up against Atletico Madrid in October put the Japanese ace out of action for several weeks. He returned to the bench against the Rangers in early January. But his return was short-lived, as he picked up a calf injury while playing for Japan at the AFC Asian Cup and has been on the sidelines since then.

Great news as Celtic player edges closer to return

As reported by Football Scotland, Hatate has stepped up his efforts to return to action by playing 45 minutes of a bounce game this week. He managed a half against St Mirren.

Potentially that could mean Hatate being back in the squad for the away match against Livingston on March 31. That difficult artificial pitch may not be the best of surfaces for him to make his way back from injury though. We may still see him on the bench and progressing in the right direction.

The following match is the Glasgow Derby at Ibrox on April 7. Whether it’s to start or on the bench, both Rodgers and Hatate will be delighted that he is looking likely to be available. The fans will also hope that he can have a big influence on the pitch again after his disrupted season so far.