Celtic have been dealt a blow after learning that one of their first-team players has been ruled out of action for several weeks through injury, following a fresh update.
Celtic injury news
At Parkhead, Brendan Rodgers has Liel Abada, Stephen Welsh, Marco Tilio and Maik Nawrocki all out on the sidelines with their own respective problems, but they are about to be joined in the treatment room by another one of their teammates north of the border.
The Hoops secured a respectable 2-2 draw against Atletico Madrid on home soil in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, but despite the positive result, there was, unfortunately for the boss, a negative to occur on the night with regards to a squad member having to leave the field earlier than expected.
The Scottish Premiership side’s central midfielder, Reo Hatate, was named in the starting line-up for the midweek encounter under the lights, but was forced off the pitch and replaced by Paulo Bernardo after just seven minutes due to a suspected hamstring injury, which caused immediate concern among staff and supporters alike.
Reo Hatate ruled out through injury
Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Friday, Rodgers confirmed that Celtic’s Reo Hatate won’t be available for several weeks.
As quoted by Sky Sports, he said: "We don't have a definitive timeline but he will definitely be out for a few weeks. We are just waiting for it to settle down and waiting for the result and we will see where he's at but it looked quite a bad one.
"If you watch the game, the first 35 seconds he has over-stretched and he has felt it early on. It's such a shame for him. It's a different one. He was out with his hamstring last year, it's his other one this time. So we just need to try to get to the bottom of that."
As per journalist Josh Bunting, Hatate is “incredible to watch” at Celtic, so the fact that he’s set to be out of action for an extended amount of time will come as a huge blow to Rodgers, who won’t have the 25-year-old at his disposal for the foreseeable future.
The Japan international has racked up 31 involvements, 16 assists and 15 goals, in 76 appearances during his time in Glasgow, highlighting how prolific he can be in the final third (Transfermarkt – Hatate statistics), and there’s no doubt that he’s helped to play a huge part in the club’s success in recent seasons.
The Bhoys star has secured four trophies since putting pen to paper in January 2022, including winning the likes of the Scottish Premiership and the League Cup, so he is an integral member of the squad and one whose absence will be missed on the field.
Furthermore, Hatate is a versatile operator having been deployed in eight different positions over the pitch since the start of his career, including two roles in defence, everywhere across the midfield and even out wide as a left-winger, so the manager will be hoping to have his talisman back as soon as possible.