Celtic have not had a fully fit squad throughout this season. At some point or another, some key members of the team have been missing.
Brendan Rodgers has had vast misfortune regarding fitness issues since he returned to Glasgow with the likes of Reo Hatate, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Callum McGregor, Luis Palma, Stephen Welsh, and Maik Nawrocki among others all having their problems at certain junctures.
Despite these extreme unavailabilities, the manager remains in pursuit of a league and cup double at the end of March.
Such an achievement would be considerable, and it is certainly within the realm of possibility given the manager is beginning to get a fully fit and firing squad for the first time this campaign.
Carter-Vickers came back into the team at the weekend and the only other notable absentees – McGregor, Palma, Hatate, Yang, and Liam Scales – should all be back available for the game against Livingston in just under a fortnight.
The prospect of having a strong team with all of these players back in it enthuses the manager: “By the time we get back after this break we are going to be in a really strong position, hopefully”, said Rodgers (STV).
“I am so excited about seeing that team and how it functions in this last part of the season.
“Having Callum McGregor back, Reo Hatate, some of the other guys coming back, Scalesy.
“You see the difference with Cameron Carter-Vickers in the team, everything just gets shored up.
“Those options of quality will hopefully be there for us even more after the break.”
