Surgery and out for four months- Keith Jackson speculates over Kyogo injury

Keith Jackson has speculated over Kyogo Furuhashi being ruled out of action for four months. 

The striker is currently out of action due to a hamstring injury with only vague references over when he is likely to play again. 

Kyogo’s problems began when he was sent on to replace Albian Ajeti in the Europa League tie against Real Betis with Giorgos Giakoumakis already sidelined. 

Celtic’s jinx struck again when Kyogo suffered a hamstring injury, he missed two matches but was back 10 days later to win the League Cup with a double against Hibs. 

After his appearance at St Johnstone on December 26 ended after 15 minutes there has been no sign of Celtic’s top scorer back in training. 

Giakoumakis looks to have been promoted to first choice striker with fans left to speculate and read into social media rumours over Kyogo’s fitness. 

In his Daily Record column, Jackson writes: 

The plight of Furuhashi is not quite so straightforward. As a matter of fact, although Postecoglou has got an awful lot right during his first few months in the job, his decision-making where the well being of his star striker is concerned looks to have been flawed. 

Having already rushed the player off the treatment table for the Premier Sports Cup Final before Christmas – albeit a gamble which paid out in silver – Postecoglou then took another punt on Furuhashi’s dodgy hamstring when he pitched him in against rock-bottom St Johnstone on Boxing Day. 

With the winter shutdown already brought forward – and the Old Firm game put back by a whole month – Postecoglou must have been banking on there being ample recovery time for his talisman to get back up to full speed. 

But it does now appear as if this high risk approach may have boomeranged on the Big Aussie. Quite spectacularly. Perhaps this explains why he’s been so very vague whenever he’s been asked direct questions about Furuhashi’s condition. 

If the injury has become so serious that it now requires surgery then Postecoglou’s insistence that the talisman will most certainly be back before the end of the season seems optimistic in the extreme. 

No matter what Postecoglou may say in public, behind the scenes Celtic’s medical experts have been discussing the prospect of Furuhashi’s hamstring being put under the knife for an operation which normally requires around four months of full rehab time. 

Postecoglou is expected to speak to the media tomorrow to preview the match against Hearts. 

Peter Lawwell‘s last newspaper interview as Celtic CEO was with Jackson in the Daily Record.