Medical expert: Christopher Jullien will take time to recover after ‘indescribable’ Celtic reveal
It could take Christopher Jullien a long time before he psychologically recovers from his long-term injury at Celtic.
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Jullien returned after over 400 days out with a severe knee injury in the 3-0 win over Raith Rovers earlier this month (12 February).
The 28-year-old French defender has been an unused substitute in each of the Hoops’ last two games.
As quoted by the Daily Record on Monday (21 February), he revealed that his struggles on the sidelines had been “indescribable”.
And Dinnery suggests that it could be a while until Jullien’s confidence returns.
“First and foremost, you have to commend the player and the support network,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“You’re at your lowest ebb when you find out you’ve suffered a serious injury. There’s a lot of hard work to come.
“You’re often first in and last out. It can be very repetitive and you can feel very isolated, not part of the team.
“It’s difficult to maintain that focus when you’re working with a physio all day, every day, trying to keep things fresh and new.
“When things are going well on the pitch and you want to be out there, it can be frustrating.
“But you need to focus on small goals and getting through each stage. Once you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, that’s your motivating force.
“It could be some time before he feels he has returned to pre-injury levels.
“Psychologically, there will still be a bit of nagging doubt as to whether he can physically cope.
“But he is now in a position where he has done everything he possibly can to mitigate the chances of a setback.
“Fingers crossed he has an injury-free finish to the season.”
Jullien has scored 10 goals and provided four assists in 62 appearances since he signed for Celtic.
He is available for the Hoops’ Europa Conference League clash against Bodo/Glimt tonight (24 February).
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