Neil Lennon has revealed the worrying extent of Chris Jullien’s back injury.
The defender hasn’t played since the win over Ross County on September 12 and is unlikely to be involved again before the November international break.
After a three match absence Jullien was on the bench away to Sarajevo and St Johnstone but was missing from the Derby defeat with Stephen Welsh playing his first match of the season.
Discussing the Frenchman ahead of tonight’s match against AC Milan, Lennon told the Daily Record:
He’s not responding well, he still has a lot of pain, a lot of discomfort in his back. Unfortunately, and I don’t know if I can put a timescale on it, but he’s going to be out for the next few weeks.
He’s had scans, he’s seen specialists, he’s seen chiropractors, he’s getting round the clock treatment now and hopefully we will see an improvement in his condition as we go along.
With Hatem Abd Elhamed and Nir Bitton recovering from positive test results Lennon’s defensive options are limited with Welsh becoming the third fit central defender.
A year ago Jullien was a key figure in the home and away wins over Lazio as his partnership with Kris Ajer started to develop.
The prospect of facing Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his on-form team mates’ tonight is a daunting one with Celtic’s most expensive defender watching from the side-lines.