By Ben Dinnery

13th Sep, 2022 | 4:29pm

Medical insider issues 'massive' Carl Starfelt surgery claim after Celtic latest

It is a “massive” relief that Celtic centre-back Carl Starfelt will not have to have surgery on his knee injury.

That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis.

Starfelt, 27, was forced off with a knee injury just before the hour mark in the Hoops’ 4-0 demolition of Rangers earlier this month (3 September).

The Swedish centre-back will now be out of action until next month, as reported by the Scottish Sun last Saturday (10 September).

But it is understood that he will not need to go under the knife to correct his knee problem.

This is a bullet dodged for Celtic, claims Dinnery.

“It’s always a worry, but knee injuries are fairly commonplace in football,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.

“But only a small minority of these injuries result in a player needing to go under the knife. That he has been given the all-clear and, on a surface level, appears to be all sound is positive.

“It will respond well to non-surgical treatment. Yes, it’s going to be a blow for them, but in the grand scheme of things, he will still play a lot of football between now and the end of the campaign.

“It always looks worse in slow motion when watching live, so it’s a massive boost for the club and the player that he has been given the all-clear from anything significant.“

In other news, Alan Hutton issues “very surprising” Ange Postecoglou claim after journalist’s Celtic update.