Celtic fans have made fun of comeback defender Jozo Simunovic despite the Croatian posting a rather optimistic message of his return to fitness recently.
The Hoops have been handed a big injury boost in the form of Simunovic, who recently posted an update (via his Instagram) that he is now back to full fitness. With the club currently on a mid-season training camp in Dubai, Simunovic is with the squad for it.
He was out due to a knee injury and had undergone an arthroscopy surgery and hasn’t played for the club since then.
Celtic fans: Is it the end of the road for Simunovic?
He's rubbish, get rid
Not a bad squad option
Everything Celtic posted a screenshot of the defender’s Instagram story on Twitter, which led to some Hoops fans seeing the update. However, they aren’t too pleased with it and they want him out irrespective.
2 games , ripped tights & reload.
Get rid
— Melle Mel Frimpong (@glasmel) January 5, 2020
20 mins later in out again
— Cesar 67 x (@dazbhoy1967) January 5, 2020
Give him 3 weeks before he’s out injured. I like the big guy but we need better.
— Jonny W (@johnnywatt) January 5, 2020
Looking forward to jozo coming back and being unable to play on plastic parks for a load of games before he’s injured.
— MT (@MarcTur09096437) January 5, 2020
Can’t believe he got a new 4 year deal. He’s never fit
— Brian (@brian11119) January 5, 2020
Hopefully get 2 games between now and May
— Mark (@markgiblin75) January 5, 2020
Unreal how many times he’s injured. Genuinely unreal
— Scott (@SDair3) January 5, 2020
Simunovic, 25, has been out to injury since the month of September when he suffered a knee injury.
Before succumbing to the injury, Simunovic had made a total of seven appearances in all competitions for the Bhoys. Six of those had come in the UEFA Champions League qualifying stages, with one of them coming in the Europa League qualifying stages.
Last season though, Simunovic was a regular at the back for the club. He made 30 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice from the defence too. In the Premiership, he had made only 13 appearances but he had played 2287 minutes of football in total.
Simunovic had joined Celtic from Dinamo Zagreb in the summer of 2015, days after the exit of Virgil van Dijk to Southampton.
What do we think?
It seems hard to think where Simunovic can get regular football. Christopher Jullien and Kristoffer Ajer have the first-choice regulars. Hatem Abd Elhamed and Nir Bitton are the other options, with Jack Hendry also a central defender. There seems no space for him and a move away from Parkhead will make sense.