New Celtic striker Vakoun Issouf Bayo has confirmed he is set to miss out on the Hoops’ first couple of games as he casts doubts over his fitness due to a winter break.
The 22-year-old was pictured arriving in Scotland on the Bhoys’ official Twitter account as he gets ready to link up with his new teammates at Parkhead, Brendan Rodgers’ men taking on St Mirren on Wednesday night.
? Bayo's here!
@vakoun45 is in Scotland for the first time as a #CelticFC player (subject to international clearance) #WelcomeBayo ??? pic.twitter.com/6bOjRii18U
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 22, 2019
However, Bayo has admitted that he is lacking in sharpness after a month off for the winter break and stated that he would likely miss out for a couple of games while he rebuilt his fitness to an acceptable level.
He told the Scottish Sun: “I am not 100 per cent fit just now because we have just had our winter break in Slovakia. So I don’t know if I will be able to play straight away, we shall have to wait and see.
“But I know every minute of every match I play will help me get closer to where I need to be. And now I am here I am just looking forward to starting my Celtic career.”
Opinion
It is to be expected that Bayo would not be thrown straight into the deep end on his arrival at Celtic but fans would no doubt like to see him in action sooner rather than later. He is one of a number of new signings at Celtic Park this month as Rodgers and his team look to strengthen their grip on the Premiership title and with Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths enduring a difficult first half of the season new strikers were obviously the priority for the manager, Timothy Weah joining Bayo in strengthening the options at Parkhead. When will fans be able to see Bayo in action? With three games over the next week, kicking off with the home tie against St Mirren, he could find himself picking up a couple of minutes either against Hamilton over the weekend or St Johnstone in a week’s time. The quicker he gets up to speed the better for everyone at the club, for he is expected to bring the goals to fire them to success at the end of the campaign.