Ronny Deila won’t risk the fitness of James Forrest as he prepares to make his first signing- Craig Gordon.
Forrest’s career has been dogged by injury over the last three seasons with a succession of groin, calf and thigh strains restricting his development.
The winger, who will be 23 next week, started just 10 matches last season with Deila wanting to get to the bottom of his injury problems.
“James is out for some weeks,” the new Celtic boss admitted. “We will see what happens in terms of the qualifiers. We will take it from week to week.
“I don’t want to rush James. He has been out for such a long time that he needs time to get his fitness up.
“I saw in training that he didn’t have the fitness needed to be consistent. When he is fit, then he can start playing games. He is a very explosive player. When you are in and out you can push too hard to get back and end up having to start all over again.
“It’s very important that we take our time with him and get out his potential. If it continues the way of the last year or two then that will never happen because of all the injuries.”
“It’s better to keep him out for a good while now to really get him fit. From there, we can get him into games. James is an exceptional talent but you need that fitness to play game after game. The medical staff know what to do with him. It’s just about getting the time to do it.”
While Forrest will miss out on the opportunity to impress Deila Gordon is expected to arrive in Austria today to complete a two year deal.
The former Hearts keeper played his last match in April 2012 making just 95 appearances in five years at Sunderland after a £9m move from Tynecastle.
Gordon will join up with Lucasz Zaluska and Leo Fasan on duty in Austria with his arrival suggesting that the club is bracing itself for the departure of Fraser Forster.
