CALLUM McGREGOR is set for an immediate return to the Celtic side right after the international break.
The Hoops badly missed their inspirational skipper in the 3-2 defeat by Rangers at Parkhead last Sunday, after he failed to shake off a calf strain.
Callum McGregor is set to give Brendan Rodgers a major injury boost[/caption]
His Celtic team mates missed him in the Old Firm loss to Rangers[/caption]
But it’s understood McGregor is expected to be fit again for the visit of Hearts on March 29, as Treble-chasing Celts look to quickly get back on track in their bid to seal four-in-a-row.
The break in the domestic action, due to Scotland’s Nations League play-off ties against Greece, has allowed the 31-year-old to fully focus on his rehab.
McGregor is desperate to return, and boss Brendan Rodgers will be pleased to get him back in the side so quickly.
Stoppers Auston Trusty and Liam Scales, both also injury absentees against Gers, are pushing on with their fitness battles, while long-term crocks James Forrest and Paulo Bernardo are edging closer to comebacks.
Speaking about the fitness of McGregor and Trusty, Rodgers revealed it was touch-and-go for both men to feature in the Glasgow derby.
He said: “Callum we gave every chance to make it but he felt a tightness in his calf yesterday when he was training the final session.
“So, it was too big a risk to put him in and put him out for much longer and also he felt like he couldn’t really function how he would normally.
“Auston, likewise, just felt a soreness in his calf. He tried to give it a go but just wasn’t fit enough to play in the game.
“You just change the personnel. We know how we play. Luke McCowan comes in, Arne [Engels] comes back one. Maik Nawrocki being the one that’s been really unfortunate not to have played.
“The form of the three centre-halves in front of him has meant that he hasn’t had the chance to play so much. He’s trained ever so well. He’s always been ready and today he gets the chance to play in a game that he’s played in before and done really well.”
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