Hutton on Celtic international injuries

BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Alan Hutton has reacted to the news that Celtic duo Sead Haksabanovic and Daizen Maeda have picked up injuries on international duty.

The Lowdown: Injury woes

Haksabanovic was forced off injured during Montenegro’s UEFA Nations League game against Finland earlier this week, as he lasted only 32 minutes of the after being on the receiving end of a heavy challenge.

He was treated on the pitch by his team’s physios, but was unable to shrug the tackle off, and so was replaced before half-time.

Meanwhile, Maeda was left out of the Japan squad as they faced Ecuador in a warm-up match before the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November.

He was brought off after the first 45 minutes during Japan’s earlier fixture against the USA, after picking up a knock in the opening half, and was subsequently absent from training in preparation for the clash against Ecuador.

The Latest: Hutton reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Scottish Premiership defender Hutton has claimed that it is a ‘shame’ to hear that both Haksabanovic and Maeda have picked up injuries, adding that Ange Postecoglou may have started to ‘panic’ when sending his players away on international duty:

“In the last few outings, he’s [Haksabanovic] looked really sharp, he’s looked energetic and as if he can make something happen.

“Celtic do have a lot of options up top, but he was brought in to make them stronger, so you don’t want to lose that.

“I heard Maeda’s possibly got a little injury away on international duty as well so it’s two players in that front line that they won’t want to lose.

“It’s a shame obviously for Celtic and the situation they’re in at the moment. It’s not ideal, I think all managers start to panic when players are getting called away to international duty because this kind of crops up now and then.“

The Verdict: Not ideal

As Hutton claims, it is certainly not ideal for the Parkhead outfit to be sending some of their key players away to play international football, as there is always a risk that they could pick up an injury and thus start to miss club games.

That is happened to both Haksabanovic and Maeda, who may now be doubts for their clash at home to Motherwell in the SPFL on Saturday afternoon.

Maeda ranks joint-second in the Hoops squad for assists (four) in the league so far this season, while new signing Haksabanovic has only played 33 minutes in the division, and so supporters will want to see more of him as the international break is now over.