Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has provided a positive injury update on midfielder David Turnbull, stating that it is a ‘matter of weeks’ before the Scotland internationalist returns to action.
The midfielder picked up a hamstring injury in the Hoops 2-1 win at Hampden in the Premier Sports Cup final against Hibs and was visibly upset at missing his chance to contribute in the showpiece fixture.
There were some fears that Turnbull might be out long-terms across several of the first few months of the year. However, Postecoglou appears to have put those fears to bed.
As quoted by Sun Sport, the 56-year old stated it is hard to put an official timeframe on his return, but it was positive news rather than anything long-term as we prepare for a crucial part of the season.
He said: “It’s hard to put a timeline on it.
“But he’s working hard in rehab and feels good at how it’s going.
“It’s a matter of weeks, rather than anything longer.
“But he played a lot of football in the first half of the season, and he’s probably one of the ones who suffered because of that.
“When he does come back, we’ll be able to balance it a bit more with the reinforcements we’ve brought in.”
Since Ange’s arrival in the summer, Turnbull played his part in every competitive fixture under the former Socceroos boss up until the cup final.
So, in a way, this injury might give the 22-year old a well-earned rest as we prepare for the competitive action to return on Monday, with another busy run of games to come across the next few months.
The positive news is, as Postecoglou mentions, Turnbull won’t need to carry as much of the workload when he returns from injury thanks to the January midfielder reinforcements.
