Celtic’s injury nightmare appears to be clearing with Maik Nawrocki back in full training.
The defender was Celtic’s most expensive summer signing, costing £4.2m from Legia Warsaw and was earmarked for Carl Starfelt’s role with the Swede poised to move to Celta Vigo.
Three matches into his Celtic career Nawrocki suffered a hamstring injury in the closing minutes of the League Cup defeat away to Kilmarnock.
Coupled with injuries to Cameron Carter-Vickers and Stephen Welsh alongside the sale of Starfelt it left Brendan Rodgers drastically short of options with Nat Phillips drafted in on loan from Liverpool.
Carter-Vickers started in the 3-1 victory over Kilmarnock before going off on international duty and discussing Nawrocki, Rodgers told Celtic TV:
He’s doing very well and trained over the last week or so. We only have Stephen Welsh and Liel Abada who will hopefully be back in December time. Thankfully that’s starting to ease off and we’re starting to get numbers back in what’s going to be a busy part of the season.
You always know you will have injuries, I just think at the beginning of the season that aligned with new players coming in and trying to adapt and settle was the challenge.
Nawrocki was left out of Celtic’s Champions League squad but his return will be welcome with tough domestic matches coming up away to Hearts and Hibs followed by St Mirren at home.
After three matches as a Celt Nawrocki can now resume his Celtic career knowing that Liam Scales has taken his opportunity and appears to be the natural left sided partner to Carter-Vickers.
Getting Starfelt out the door was great business. He was a bombscare.
The big Swede we have brought in is straight out of the same mold too!
But if we are going purely on skill and ability alone, Nawrocki has a fight on his hands! Scales has been outstanding this season, and probably the player of the season so far.
For the first time in years we have three top class central defenders, any of whom can make us feels comfortable with them in the side at any given time.
Competition is the name of the game ! – And it’s a nice problem for Brendan to have…