Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that midfield mainstay Olivier Ntcham was suffering from a muscle injury niggle which saw him drop out of the squad for the cup win over St Johnstone on Sunday.
The Frenchman was originally named among the substitutes for what ended up being a comfortable 5-0 win for the Hoops but was replaced late on by Mikey Johnston with no explanation given prior to kick off.
Speaking after watching his side seal victory, Rodgers confirmed it was a hamstring niggle which saw him withdraw, quoted by the club’s official Twitter account as saying: “Ntcham had a tightness in his hamstring, which he felt before the game.”
??BR: "Ollie Burke took a knock to his ankle, but we’re hoping he’ll be okay. He was absolutely fantastic today. Ntcham had a tightness in his hamstring, which he felt before the game. Jozo was feeling ill at half-time, but Kris comes in and does a great job."
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) February 10, 2019
Opinion
Not the news that Celtic fans want to hear, with the former Manchester City man having already been ruled out of action for the last couple of games. A tight hamstring is not a serious problem and so there will be hopes of a swift recovery but at the same time the fact he was included among the squad only to see him withdrawn late on will have plenty scratching their heads. Surely he would have been judged by the medical staff to either be fully fit or carrying a problem and a tight hamstring does not just pop out of nowhere. Could it have been a flare up of the existing injury in the warm up? Perhaps, but that in itself should have alarm bells ringing around Parkhead. The club need to make sure he is fully fit if he is to come back any time soon, for they cannot risk him suffering a relapse and spending more time on the sidelines.