Celtic are no longer on a putting a timeframe on the return of defender Christopher Jullien, The Athletic's Kieran Devlin says. 

The lowdown

Jullien hasn't played for Celtic since a 3-0 win over Dundee United on 30 December 2020.

The centre-back left that game on a stretcher after colliding with a goalpost.

Neil Lennon, who was still the manager of Celtic at the time, initially said that his absence was likely to last only 'three to four months'.

The Hoops have looked defensively vulnerable in the absence of the 28-year-old, conceding 15 goals across their six Europa League group stages matches and crashing out of the competition.

The latest

Devlin was asked by a supporter to explain 'the situation with Jullien'.

He replied that the Frenchman's return date 'kept getting pushed back and pushed back', and 'now there's no estimated return date anymore'.

Ultimately, his recovery in the last 12 months has 'just gone really, really poorly'.

The verdict

Questions surely have to be asked of the Celtic medical department at this stage. He's now been out for almost three times as long as the club initially forecast.

That could suggest that they misjudged the injury in the first place or that they have mishandled his rehabilitation.

Perhaps it's just misfortune, but Devlin also claims there have been complaints for 'years' about the club's medical and sports science staff from 'sources close to players'.

When Jullien does eventually return, how long will it take for him to recover his pre-injury form? Will he ever do so? Given the length of his absence, these are pressing questions.

In other news, an expert has made a prediction about another Celtic injury.