The Athletic's Celtic correspondent Kieran Devlin believes that Hoops youngster Karamoko Dembele may have actually broken a bone in his ankle over the summer.

The Lowdown: Dembele’s Celtic career

Labelled as ‘special’ by former Bhoys manager Neil Lennon, the teenager has struggled to make a major impact at Parkhead since penning professional terms at Parkhead back in 2018.

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Now 18 years of age, the winger has turned out just eight times for the Hoops' first team and is yet to make a competitive appearance under Ange Postecoglou.

He injured his ankle in the club’s pre-season tour of Wales and underwent surgery back in October following complications. However, Devlin believes that the youngster may have broken a bone in his ankle despite reports suggesting that it was a fracture.

The Latest: Devlin claim

Devlin ran a Q&A on The Athletic prior to Celtic’s meeting with Motherwell on Sunday afternoon.

He was quizzed on Dembele’s situation, replying with an interesting admission:

“He's also injured, *think* it turned out to be a break in the end but conflicting information on that.”

The Verdict: Summer departure?

Dembele has had his struggles in Glasgow and is out of contract in the summer, so there’s every possibility that he’ll pursue a new challenge next year, should his situation remain the same over the coming months.

You’d expect that he wouldn’t be short of suitors either despite his injury issues, with the likes of Lille, Nantes and Danish side FC Nordsjaelland all linked with the teenager earlier this year.

Hopefully he'll be back in the New Year and will get a chance under Postecoglou, but getting fit will be his main priority for the time being.

In other news: 'Game-changer' - BBC Radio 5 Live man 'surprised' as Celtic get closer to biggest signing of the Postecoglou era