Charlton boss Lee Bowyer has warned that long-term Celtic transfer target, Alfie Doughty might not be the same player again after recovering from his latest hamstring injury which will keep him out for an extended period of time.
As quoted by London News Online, Doughty – who was a target of Neil Lennon’s in the summer with several bids being made for the left-sided player – faces months out of the game with a serious hamstring injury and his boss wasn’t hesitant to say it could affect his career.
“We have to look and see how he comes back from injury – he’s already had one setback before he even got off the bed. It’s such a difficult injury that he’s trying to come back from for someone of his age.
“Of course we want him to sign, but he has to be careful as well. If he comes back none of us know if he’ll be the same player – because his game is all about pace and he has done his hamstring.
“For Alfie, at this young age, it’s a bad one to have. No-one knows how he is going to come back yet. Rehab is really, really important for him. If he comes back and he’s the Alfie of before and decided not to sign the contract then that is something we’ll have to revisit.”
In the last transfer window, it was clear that Lennon was a fan and wanted to bring the 20-year old on board. However, the latest comments coming for the League One club may make Celtic a little more wary about making a move if he fails to recover fully from this injury.
It is an interesting deal which might be worth taking the risk though, with Doughty’s deal coming to an end in the summer so there will be no transfer fee involved and you wouldn’t imagine his wage would be anything to excessive
