Country of £18k-p/w Celtic "beast" confirm injury in concern for Rodgers

A Celtic “beast” has reportedly suffered an injury blow, with his national team confirming as much at the beginning of the international break.

Celtic players off on international duty after Rangers defeat

The Hoops suffered the disappointing of losing to Rangers last Sunday, with Brendan Rodgers’ side enduring a 3-2 defeat at Parkhead. The hosts were never at their best, failing to build an even bigger leader at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.

On the plus side, Celtic are still in complete command of the title race, sitting 13 points clear ahead of their rivals, so there is no need for an overreaction to the loss.

While some supporters would like the Hoops to have another game as quickly as possible, they will now have to wait until March 29th for their next outing, with Rodgers’ men hosting Hearts in the league.

For a big chunk of Celtic’s squad, domestic commitments now make way for international duty, as they look to impress for their respective countries for the next week or so. It hasn’t been an ideal start to the break for the Scottish Premiership leaders, however, with worrying injury news emerging.

Celtic suffer injury blow to attacking “beast”

On Tuesday, the Japanese FA confirmed that Daizen Maeda suffered an injury in Celtic’s defeat to Rangers last weekend, meaning he could miss Japan’s clash with Bahrain on Thursday in what will be a concern for Rodgers.

“Daizen Maeda did not train with the main group after suffering from a bruised leg and undertook his own individual programme. He will be assessed before the game.”

Maeda is such a key man for Celtic, with his pace and direct nature making him a vital figure, so Rodgers will be sweating about his availability after the internationals.

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Given Nicolas Kühn’s recent dip in form, should Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers start his “on fire” winger instead after the international break?

The Japanese speedster has scored 13 goals in 23 league starts this season, also chipping in with four in the Champions League and an incredible six in just three appearances and five in two in the Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup respectively. Meanwhile, former coach John Hutchinson has said of him:

“I have never seen a more physical player, in terms of speed and repeat sprinting, than Daizen. Daizen is a physical beast. You’d have no issues sending him anywhere in Europe because it won’t be a problem to him. He’s a machine.”

If anything, this injury may actually have been timed well, or at least Rodgers will hope so, in terms of the international action only just getting underway, giving the £18,000-a-week Celtic ace time to get back fully fit for the Hearts game.

Thankfully, the Hoops have a massive lead in the title race, not to mention having plenty of other options, but it is always better for them to have him available.