Reliable journalist Scott Burns has handed Brendan Rodgers a significant injury boost ahead of Celtic’s return to domestic action this weekend.
Celtic prepare for huge Aberdeen clash
When the new Scottish Premiership season got underway, the vast majority of fans and experts thought that the Hoops would once again be vying with Rangers for title glory this season, as has been the norm throughout most of history. Instead, it is Aberdeen who have set the pace alongside Celtic, winning all seven of their matches and only trailing Rodgers’ men on goal difference, impressing hugely in the process.
On Saturday afternoon, Parkhead hosts a top-of-the-table meeting between the Hoops and the Dons, with Celtic hoping to show their superiority and proving that they are still very much the team to beat in 2024/25. They will also know that Rangers are still only five points behind them, so a slip-up this weekend would give them the chance to close the gap.
It is a highly-anticipated game that will tell us a lot more about where Celtic and Aberdeen are at currently, and with kickoff approaching, the reigning Scottish Premiership champions have been given a big boost.
Celtic handed massive injury boost
According to a fresh update from The Daily Record‘s Burns, Cameron Carter-Vickers is back in training for Celtic, ahead of the weekend clash with Aberdeen. It is rightly described as a “major lift to Brendan Rodgers and his squad to have the key defender back out on the grass”, with the manager now having to “decide how much game exposure to give him”, with a crucial Champions League meeting away to Atalanta looming on Wednesday evening.
Having Carter-Vickers back in contention feels so significant for Celtic, considering what an influential performer he has been at the heart of the defence ever since joining from Tottenham in 2022, having previously spent a season on loan at Parkhead.
The American hasn’t featured since the middle of September because of injury, but Rodgers will be desperate to get him back into the team as soon as possible, with Jackie McNamanra summing up his influence: “Carter-Vickers is strong and has a lot of attributes.
“He’s been a terrific signing. Yeah, he’s up there with some of the best – although he’s not quite the same kind of player as Bobo! I played with some cracking centre-backs over the years – Johan Mjallby, Mark Rieper, and so on. Carter-Vickers has definitely been one who has been an excellent signing. He’s very steady and consistent.”
It would arguably be a surprise if Carter-Vickers started this weekend, with Rodgers needing to handle him with an element of care, but that said, if he looks sharp enough in training, few would complain if they saw his name back in the starting lineup for such an important occasion.
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Easing the £24,000-a-week USA international back in seems the most sensible approach, however, especially as Celtic continued to win without him, showing that others can be trusted.