What Brendan Rodgers said about Kelechi Iheanacho after Celtic injury blow
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has provided an update on Kelechi Iheanacho after he was forced off in the third minute of their Europa League clash against Sturm Graz.
Celtic‘s summer struggles saw them go past the transfer deadline without a new striker signing, despite Adam Idah being sold to Swansea City.
Football Insider revealed on Tuesday (2 September) that Celtic were lining up a move for Kelechi Iheanacho after he had been released by Sevilla, and the former Leicester man soon officially made the move to Parkhead.
Iheanacho has been impressive throughout the early stages of his Hoops career, with three goals and an assist in seven appearances prior to Thursday (23 October) night’s Europa League clash against Sturm Graz.
He was forced off with an injury inside the first three minutes on a big night for Brendan Rodgers‘ side as they won 2-1 at Parkhead, and the Celtic boss provided an update on his problem following the game.
Rodgers provides Iheanacho update after Celtic setback
Speaking to the media post-match, the Northern Irish boss revealed what was wrong with Iheanacho and teammate Alistair Johnston, who was also forced off in the first-half.
He said: “It doesn’t look great. It looks like a hamstring (injury),” and later added to that by saying: “We’ll see where it is, but it looks like hamstrings, which isn’t great.
“I’m not worried about (squad depth). I’m really only worried about how we played tonight, and that’s our focus. We’ll see what it is in the morning, and if they’re not available…we just have to accept it if we have injuries.”
Celtic need Iheanacho fit and firing with Rodgers a big fan of his
Iheanacho was hard done by against Braga in early October as former FIFA referee Keith Hackett told Football Insider that his goal should have counted and was not handball.
That strike would have made his start to life at Parkhead even better, and even aside from his scoring record, his all-round performances have been impressive despite Celtic’s inconsistent form as a team.
The striker was a star for Rodgers during their time together at Leicester between 2019 and 2023, and the Celtic boss praised his talents upon Iheanacho’s arrival last month.
He said: “I know Kelechi so well and what he can bring to the team. He is such a talented player, with great ability, athleticism and work-rate.
“I am sure he will love being at Celtic and I believe our fans will love what he brings. He has great experience and he is right in his peak years so he can be a great signing for us. I am sure he will make a big contribution to the team.”
The Nigeria international has certainly won Celtic fans over in the last few weeks, but they will hope that this injury is not a sign of things to come for him at the club.