Injury expert Ben Dinnery has been reacting to news regarding Celtic defender Christopher Jullien, as per Football Insider.
The Lowdown: Jullien’s return
The 28-year-old made a return to action earlier this month, 409 days after he suffered a serious knee injury at Parkhead.
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Jullien came on as a substitute against Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup during a 4-0 win and has since been included on the bench against Bodo/Glimt and Dundee.
He has recently opened up on his lengthy spell on the sidelines, revealing that his struggles have been ‘indescribable’.
The Latest: Dinnery’s comments on Jullien
Dinnery, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider following Jullien’s comments earlier in the week.
He said that it may be ‘difficult’ and ‘frustrating’ for the Frenchman and that it could be some time until the defender feels that he is back to ‘pre-injury’ levels, saying:.
“First and foremost, you have to commend the player and the support network.
“You’re at your lowest ebb when you find out you’ve suffered a serious injury. There’s a lot of hard work to come.
“You’re often first in and last out. It can be very repetitive and you can feel very isolated, not part of the team.
“It’s difficult to maintain that focus when you’re working with a physio all day, every day, trying to keep things fresh and new.
“When things are going well on the pitch and you want to be out there, it can be frustrating.
“But you need to focus on small goals and getting through each stage. Once you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, that’s your motivating force.
“It could be some time before he feels he has returned to pre-injury levels.
“Psychologically, there will still be a bit of nagging doubt as to whether he can physically cope.
“But he is now in a position where he has done everything he possibly can to mitigate the chances of a setback.
“Fingers crossed he has an injury-free finish to the season.”
The Verdict: 'Pre-season' for Jullien
With Jullien out for more than 400 days, it may well take a while for him to return to match sharpness. Therefore, it could be wise for Ange Postecoglou to use the defender sparingly in the final months of the current campaign, ultimately treating it as a pre-season for the centre-back.
Doing so will hopefully give the 28-year-old the chance to ease his way back into things ahead of the 2022/23 season, when you’d hope that he will be fully fit.
Throwing him straight back into the starting XI week in, week out could do more harm than good, and Postecoglou has the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Carl Starfelt and Stephen Welsh to call upon, so it's not as if Jullien needs to be utilised urgently.
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