GIBRALTAR, GIBRALTAR - NOVEMBER 15: Scotland's Colby Donovan is stretchered off due to an injury during a 2027 UEFA European Men's Under-21 Championship Qualifying match between Gibraltar U21s and Scotland U21s at Europa Point Stadium, on November 15, 2025, in Gibraltar, Gibraltar. (Photo by Salvador Lopez Castizo/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Colby Donovan is Celtic’s latest injury concern.
The defender was injured early in the second half of Scotland’s u-21 side match away to Gibraltar.
After four minutes of treatment on the pitch he was stretchered off and taken to hospital.
RIGHT-BACK ISSUES
Donovan was given his chance in the Celtic first team when Alistair Johnston picked up at early season hamstring injury. Suddenly a loan spell to Dundee was off the agenda for the defender.
With Johnston now facing a long term absence following surgery on his hamstring Celtic only have Tony Ralston as a specialist right=back option.
Donovan had a difficult day in Celtic’s 2-0 defeat against Hearts on October 26 but with non-stop midweek fixtures through into February every option is going to be required.
Asked about Donovan’s injury The Sun reports Scotland u-21 boss Scot Gemmil saying:
I don’t know the full extent of it. I just know he was taken to the hospital because the ambulance was here.
So it’s a case of wait and see, but he’s in good spirits and hopefully it was just precautionary.
It’s my understanding the injury was around his ankle area.
Celtic will now be waiting on word from the SFA about the extent of Donovan’s injury.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey played at right-back in the 4-0 win over Kilmarnock but he arrived at Celtic as a right-back.
The on loan Manchester City defender may have to be adaptable and get some game time at right-back.
Simpson-Pusey isn’t in Celtic’s Europa League squad.
Whoever is in charge of Celtic faces major defensive issues when the season resumes away to St Mirren on Saturday.
As well as Johnston being out long term Marcelo Saracchi picked up what appeared to be a hamstring injury during the win over Kilmarnock. There has been no word from the club on the extent of his injury.
Similarly Sebastian Tounekti pulled out of the Tunisia squad with no update from Celtic on the nature of his injury and expected availability.
With St Mirren, Feyenoord and Hibs all away from home over a nine day period Celtic are down on options as a critical stage of the season begins.
Fans are likely to have to wait until Friday for an injury update. As it stands Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney remain in charge of the first team.
I think the way Rodgers played the game is the root of most the injuries we are suffering, the most serious ones, the hamstrings.
Celtic Park is a big pitch. Rodgers liked his team to play with Intensity and Tempo and he talked of Transition and Going Therough The Thirds. He demanded the ball to be in play constantly. He demanded too much physically from the players.They are human beings, not robots.
They trained that way through the week also!
You saw the way they trained on CelticTV. The coaches were the heroes, not the players.
The only problem maister is that Rodgers didn’t seem to have his players running full pelt throughout the game,the way I saw Rodgers tactics was tippy tappy,side to side and backwards passing to the goalie who rolled it out to a defender to repeat the same side to side back to the goalie, hardly having his players tearing up and down the park.
He only played that way since the second half of last season. Before that it was one hundred and twenty miles an hour. An d’higun tu? Are you workin’?
WTF was that last bit maister, gobbledegook mate.
You miss the point Jim Duffy. Celtic only played that way just before Rodgers left.
Who are you Jim Duffy?
Have you got it?
Buaigh me!
Well, how do you explain the hamstring injuries to Sarrachi, Johnson and Osmand as well as all the other injuries we have?
Do you not like taht one?
WE – ARE – FUCKIN – WELL – CURSED – SO – WE – ARE
With injuries anyway !
Another week goes by and auld PISHY PANTS with the broken snib hasn’t let us down by scribbling wuth his crayons another attempt at an article running our club into the ground,what BITTER and TWISTED OLD MAN.
That’s his last 3 or 4 articles he has written has all been about our club,good to know our club is living RENT FREE in his napper.
The old coffin dodger will still be scribbling about Celtic in his stinking lair…
At least nobody will see it there !!!