Pundit Noel Whelan has been reacting to the news that Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi could be out of action for two to three weeks.
The Lowdown: Woes continue…
Furuhashi was brought on for Albian Ajeti on Thursday against Real Betis in a Europa League dead rubber clash, with the Swiss striker needing to be withdrawn with a hamstring problem.
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The Japan international also suffered a hamstring issue after coming on as a substitute and needed to be replaced in the 3-2 win over the La Liga outfit.
Ange Postecoglou confirmed on the weekend that the Celtic medical team believe Furuhashi will be out of action for ‘two to three weeks’, meaning he could miss the Glasgow derby on January 2 as well as the League Cup final next Sunday.
The Latest: Whelan’s comments
James Forrest was the latest Celtic player to suffer an injury at the weekend in a 1-0 win over Motherwell.
Whelan, who contributes for BBC Radio, was talking to Football Insider about Celtic’s injury problems and the latest on Furuhashi, to which he said:
“Every injury to that Celtic squad is going to be a massive blow – they don’t have the greatest depth.
“They’ve got the cup final coming up next weekend, and players like Jota, Forrest and Kyogo are potential match-winners.
“Those players have got the experience to make the difference in the title battle as well. This is a period in the season that can make or break your title challenge, and that’s the case now for Celtic.
“Big decisions are going to have to be made by Postecoglou, some players are going to have to step up and be that shining star.
“It’s not easy to get it right, they won’t want to be rushing these players back and risking them being out for longer.”
The Verdict: Will it ever end?
Celtic now have a shortage of attacking options with Ajeti, Forrest, Furuhashi, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Jota and Karamoko Dembele all sidelined.
Postecoglou has never really had a fully fit squad at his disposal since coming to Glasgow, but his attacking options have never been hit this hard during his Parkhead tenure.
Youngsters Liel Abada and Mikey Johnston are the only two fit and available senior attacking options at this moment in time, with David Turnbull starring in a false nine role against Motherwell.
The Hoops may need to go with that again on Wednesday, and hopefully at least one forward will be back in time for the League Cup final on Sunday.
In other news: Devlin claims 'special' Celtic ace may have broken bone amid 'conflicting' info.