Medical Insider: Callum McGregor at risk of injury setback as new Celtic details emerge
There is a risk Callum McGregor could suffer an injury setback when Celtic face Rennes in a friendly next week.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
McGregor has been out for two months with a knee injury but is now ready to make a step up in his recovery.
The Scottish Sun reported earlier this week (30 November) that the Celtic skipper will feature against Rennes in Portugal with a date for the game yet to be confirmed.
It is claimed that the club have earmarked their first game back after the break – a trip to Aberdeen later this month (17 December) – as when the 29-year-old will return to competitive action.
“He’ll certainly be in a better place on 17 December,” Dinnery told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“You can never really say 100 per cent whether a player will transition from the training pitches even into a non-competitive game without having any small issues. There’s always that consideration.
“What you hope is you go out and get some good minutes under your belt and get through that without any kind of reaction. If there are any problems or any issues then it may be a setback and you almost have to revisit and address those underlying concerns or issues.
“If he comes through that then, great. You’ve banked the first one, the next step of the process is to increase that, gradually increasing the intensity.
“All of these steps will help him transition back into the first-team level and be out there in a competitive game.”
In other news, Celtic are confident of agreeing a £5million-plus sale after terms are agreed.