Celtic have endured some frustrating injury problems this campaign that have forced Brendan Rodgers to shuffle his squad around in several areas.
Some would argue the international break hasn’t come at an awful time for the Bhoys, given the possibility that Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Liam Scales could all return from their respective fitness issues once Scottish Premiership action resumes.
Nevertheless, we all want our Celtic fix, which is now on ice until the reigning champions travel to face Livingston at the end of March at the Tony Macaroni Arena.
Speaking post-match in the wake of the Hoops’ triumph over St Johnstone, Rodgers revealed that Japan midfielder Hatate could be among several individuals who could participate in a bounce match to try and improve their fitness.
He stated: “There will be a little bit of rest, but there’s still work to be done; we’ll have a game behind closed doors to get one or two of our players up to speed.”
It is unclear whether the fixture in question will be an internal one or against another side from the Scottish pyramid.
Either way, we will soon find out, though it is encouraging to know that the club is carrying out stringent work to get our best players back to match readiness soon.
John Hartson believes Celtic’s bounce match is a ‘great idea’
Former Celtic man John Hartson is on board with the notion of Hatate, alongside a few others, featuring in a bounce match to get their fitness up ahead of the league resumption.
He explained [Go Radio Football Show]: “I think when those guys are away, I think it’s a good opportunity for Brendan Rodgers to work with the guys that have not been selected, one or two of them for the simple reason (that) they are injured.
“Otherwise, Hatate would be with Japan, but that’s a great idea because it’s one way of getting him fit and it’s one way of getting him playing games; it’s okay training, but again, a bounce game is not ideal, but it’s the best way to give him some minutes.
“Ideally, he would give him a game in a normal Scottish Premiership game, but I suppose it’s the best thing to do to get him fit. If he comes through that game, then, obviously, Livingston, a week on Sunday, he’ll play some minutes.
“Then, it’s how he comes through these games (to decide) whether he’s going to be fit to face Rangers.”
Reo Hatate coming back for Celtic would be an enormous boost
It can’t be understated how much Hatate offers Celtic when fit and available, and we have missed his ingenuity alongside the Japan international’s unique ability to control the engine room.
The 26-year-old offers a goal threat from midfield, evidenced by the fact he has averaged around 2.3 shots per match in the Scottish Premiership [Sofascore].
He doesn’t seem too far away from a first-team return, though we will need to wait and see how close he is over the next week and a half.