Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Cameron Carter-Vickers is set to return to training this week and is hopeful the centre-back will be fit for their crucial Premiership clash against Aberdeen next Saturday.
Carter-Vickers has been sidelined with a toe injury, missing the Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund in Germany and Celtic’s 2-1 win over Ross County in the Premiership.
However, Rodgers is optimistic that the United States internationalist will be ready to rejoin his teammates soon, providing a significant boost as they push for league supremacy.
Celtic’s narrow victory at the Global Energy Stadium, sealed by a late goal from Nicolas Kuhn, ensured they remain level on points with Aberdeen at the top of the table.
Reflecting on the injury situation, Rodgers provided an update on both Carter-Vickers and left-back Greg Taylor as the team enters the international break.
“Hopefully, they’ll be back,” Rodgers said.
“Cam will be joining training later on this week and then can have a good week leading into Aberdeen. So that’s good.
“Greg will just have to wait and see. I thought young Alex Valle did well today, especially in the second half. His positioning was a little bit better. But Greg, we hope he’ll be back. If he’s not ready for Aberdeen, then not long after that.”
In addition to injury concerns, Rodgers also addressed a contentious moment from the Ross County match, where referee Kevin Clancy awarded a penalty for a handball by Liam Scales.
The spot-kick, taken by Ronan Hale, was initially saved by Kasper Schmeichel, only for Clancy to order a retake due to Schmeichel coming off his line. Hale converted the second attempt, taking his tally for the season to seven goals.
Rodgers, while acknowledging the decision was correct, joked about Hale’s desire to score against Celtic, given his connection to the club.
“I’ve seen it back,” Rodgers said.
“Sometimes, even if it’s a slow run-up like that, then sometimes you want to get forward. There’s no doubt that whenever young Ronan took his shot, Kasper was off his line.
“I was just more surprised that Ronan scored against Celtic. I said to him, ‘Are you scoring against Celtic? A Celtic boy?’ But, no, he’s made a great start to his life in Scotland. I think he’s scored four goals now in eight games. He’s been a really good reference for the team.”
Rodgers also praised Hale’s development, highlighting his potential international prospects with Northern Ireland.
“Overall, Don’s had a really, really good start this season to his career and managing. Thankfully we produced a really good second half to get the result.”
On the possibility of Hale representing Northern Ireland, Rodgers added:
“I’m glad they’ve got a boy from Belfast who Michael (manager O’Neill) can call upon. Normally, he can’t. It’s great for him. He’s obviously done great back home at Cliftonville. He’s come over at a good age with good experience. And he’s shown here he can score goals. Games like today will help him in his career.”
With Carter-Vickers nearing a return and Celtic keeping pace at the top of the league, Rodgers will hope his squad remains fit and ready for the challenges ahead.