Ange Postecoglou has revealed crocked Celtic skipper Callum McGregor will be out until after the Qatar World Cup.
The ever-present midfielder was forced off in the first-half against RB Leipzig in Germany and would have missed Saturday's trip to St Johnstone anyway with suspension. But with ten games to follow between their clash in Perth and the World Cup shutdown, Postecoglou was left sweating his captain's fitness.
There had been initial fears he could be out until into the new year but Celtic boss Postecoglou says it's better than first feared. He expects him to miss "three to four weeks" - which should keep him out until the break. He said: "The initial reports suggest he'll probably be out until after the break at this stage. We haven't got the final report but it looks like he'll miss the next three, four weeks which will put him out until after the break."
Postecoglou had admitted on Friday: "He's off to see a specialist today, it's fairly significant. It wont be short-term. He's a fantastic player and beyond that, it's his influence on and off the field as a leader. There's not one person that can replace that, it will be a case of the other guys stepping up and filling the breach.
"Obviously he's is disappointed because he's such a big part of how we play our football and what we've created here so I know he'll be working hard, whatever the time line we get back."
READ NEXT