Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has spoken out against resting Cameron Carter-Vickers despite the defender having only returned from injury this week.
The absence of Carter-Vickers was certainly felt last weekend, as the Hoops conceded two goals against Livingston despite dominating the game for large spells.
Sutton said: [Daily Record], “Cameron Carter-Vickers looks like he’ll need to be managed. Can his hamstring hold up? Only the player and the medical staff will know – and they will have the final say whether he plays today. I get some people might look at St Johnstone and think Carter-Vickers might not be worth the risk.
“I’d flip it and say, if Carter-Vickers is fit then Celtic can’t risk not playing him. Look at last week when they made such heavy weather of Livingston. There were a lot of positives going forward and the Scottish Cup win was fully deserved.”
With Liam Scales missing this afternoon’s match against St Johnstone through injury, Carter-Vickers will start alongside Stephen Welsh for the first time this season.
Each player has had spells out throughout the year due to injuries.
With Maik Nawrocki also out injured, each defender has not had the chance this season to play alongside each other at the heart of defence until now.
With Carter-Vickers being a big leader in the dressing room, this is reflected in Brendan Rodgers’ decision to name him captain against St Johnstone in Callum McGregor’s absence.
