Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has received a much-needed boost with the news that James Forrest’s hamstring injury isn’t as bad as feared, according to the Scottish Sun.
The newspaper claims that scan results have provided positive news on the speedy Scotland international after he limped off against St Johnstone on Sunday.
Forrest isn’t thought to have ruled himself out of next week’s Europa League showdown with Valencia, however, Rodgers will manage his recovery carefully.
The Parkhead treatment table is currently inundated with visitors, with Mikael Lustig, Kieran Tierney, Filip Benkovic, Tom Rogic, Daniel Arzani, Anthony Ralston and Eboue Kouassi all currently sidelined.
OPINION
This is tremendous news for Celtic. Forrest has been among the team’s three or four most important players this season and so for him to have avoided a length spell on the sidelines is fantastic for the Hoops’ domestic and European hopes. It’s clear that Rodgers is having to deal with numerous absences at the moment, providing a serious test of the Northern Irishman’s managerial prowess. He will have feared that Forrest would be added to the list of the absent, so to have avoided that fate will be a big relief for him. Whether Forrest will be risked against Valencia is unknown at this time, and it might be cutting it a bit too fine. Hamstrings can come back to haunt you if you don’t sit out for the proper amount of time and Rodgers will be all too aware of that. Ultimately the Europa League tie might come too soon for the Scot but we’ll have to wait and see.