Celtic defender Liam Scales has admitted he is gutted at the latest injury blow to Hoops captain Callum McGregor, stating the importance that the midfielder has on the side.
Ange Postecoglou’s side came out victorious last night, in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup, defeating Alloa Athletic 2-1. However, the win came with a negative blow after the serious injury to McGregor in the first half.
Speaking to the media after the game, Scales and the rest of the squad were disappointed to lose their ‘leader’. But, the left-back was quick to state that there are quality options there to replace the Celtic captain during another crucial run of games.
“Absolutely, he is our leader, and he is important to how we play,” Scales said. “Hopefully, it is not too bad, and we get him back as soon as we can,” he said, as quoted by the Herald.
“But as I said, others can come in and do their jobs. The quality the manager has brought in, you can see how good the three lads [Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda] are, and they will definitely help us.
“We are through to the next round, and that is what we came here to do,” he said.
“Injuries happen in football. The lads will have to get checked out, but hopefully, their injuries aren’t that bad.
“We have dealt with injuries well, and hopefully, we can keep doing that.”
This group of players have been incredibly unlucky with the number of injuries sustained throughout the campaign, and Saturday evening was no different picking up three separate knocks.
Although the injuries to Yosuke Ideguchi and Liel Abada do not seem to be as damaging (thankfully), it certainly sounds like McGregor will now be out for an extended period of time.
It will come as a blow to Postecoglou and his coaching staff. However, the 56-year old hasn’t complained about injuries in the past, and you will imagine that would be the same going into the next few games as he looks for an alternative to secure the points in a crucial run of games.
