Martin O’Neill has explained Cameron Carter-Vickers’ absence from Celtic’s matchday squad against St Johnstone, confirming the defender was left out as a precaution.
His complete absence from the squad immediately raised concern with Celtic due to face Rangers at Ibrox in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final on Sunday.
O’Neill, however, has moved to ease those fears.
Asked by BBC Sport if the decision was precautionary, he said: “Absolutely.
“I thought there was, just in terms of energy and things like this here, I thought the last stages of the game on Saturday night, I thought he was wilting.
“He’s just feeling a little bit sore, I must admit, which is no surprise.
“I thought the best thing to do is just leave him out completely.”
O’Neill also pointed towards the amount of football the defender has played since returning to regular action.
He said: “He played every single game considering he’d been out all of last season.”
That makes tonight’s decision look more like gametime management than a fresh injury setback.
Celtic have a busy run of fixtures ahead, with Sunday’s trip to Ibrox the immediate focus after the St Johnstone game.
Carter-Vickers has been a regular in O’Neill’s defence since returning to fitness, so his availability for the cup tie will remain an important talking point over the coming days.
For now, though, the manager’s explanation is encouraging.
The American is feeling some soreness after a heavy run of matches, but O’Neill chose to leave him out entirely rather than take any unnecessary risk ahead of another major game this weekend.
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