James McCarthy was left out of Celtic’s squad for Motherwell on Saturday prompting many supporters querying why.

James has had a slow start to his career at Celtic and might not have played as much as he already has if it wasn’t for an injury crisis and a lack of depth at the club.

We wanted to know whether James was simply omitted from the squad or there was another injury at play – Ange confirmed it was the latter.

The Celtic gaffer did also confirm some of his players are finding it difficult to get up to speed.

Speaking to The Scotsman, Ange revealed the Irish international has a small muscle injury.

Postecoglou said: “It is difficult for him because he didn’t have a proper pre-season. The ones who came in late have found it hard because everyone else had already started and they didn’t have that fitness base.

“That means they have to catch up and push themselves at training and we train pretty hard here, anyway, plus the games are intense.

“So it’s only reasonable – and he’s not the only one – a couple of others have struggled while trying to get up to speed. ”

“James had a good 10-day block during the international break, so this is just a minor setback for him, nothing significant. We’re just erring on the side of caution.

“He trained on Monday, but on his own. We didn’t want to rush him back, so we’ll see how it goes by the end of the week. It’s just a small muscular problem, so we’re hoping he’ll be available.”

James has had some bad injuries in his career and the demands on his body won’t be getting easier under the way Ange wants to play.

It’s clear the player is not a perfect fit for the manager’s system. We need players who can keep going for ninety minutes and keep the level of intensity as much as possible. Does James have it in him at this point in his career?

It is a little concerning we’re deep into October and some players are struggling to get up to speed.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.