Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has refused to give a timeline on when captain Callum McGregor could return from injury.
The 28-year-old is expected to be out for a lengthy period after being taken off just before half-time in the 2-1 win over Alloa Athletic in the Scottish Cup at the weekend. However, when asked for the prognosis, Postecoglou was pretty cryptic:
“I said yesterday he was feeling better but it doesn’t mean it is not a serious injury. It wasn’t just concussion, he obviously got a significant facial injury. We will give him the time he needs to recover and be guided by the medical professionals on that and by Callum himself. At the moment we are supporting him in his recovery and hopefully he gets back to the set-up here soon.”
Supporters on Twitter are hoping Postecoglou’s comments mean that McGregor won’t be out for as long as first feared:
Pure typical Ange 😂😂😂😂
— Dee Ry’ (@deetriciax) January 24, 2022
I sort of think that’s good news, surely wouldn’t release it if not
— Sean McGarvey (@Seannyho) January 24, 2022
That sounds good news to me. If there was a break they’d know about it by now.
— Patsy Gallacher (@ABurningPride) January 24, 2022
It both makes me happy and annoyed when Ange reveals nothing. This time maybe actually let us know 🤷🏻♂️ how long is he going to be out for?
— Dylan 🏴 (@DeadByDylan) January 24, 2022
— Barry brown (@Barrybrown1986) January 24, 2022
If it’s an orbital fracture then he’ll be out for a good few weeks.
There’s no rushing this.
Sometimes they’ll heal on their own- others require surgery, the latter could heal quicker so I’m guessing anything from 4-6wks before he could return to training.— Audrey 🏴🌱♋️ (@WeeBod7) January 25, 2022
If there was a break then he’d mention it, especially if mentioning concussion
— Al Postecoglou (@Alan92503066) January 24, 2022
A “significant facial injury” does suggest a broken cheekbone, although that hasn’t been confirmed by the club yet. The worst-case scenario at the moment is that he may require surgery, which could keep him out for a couple of months.
If the injury is less severe, though, he could be allowed to play with a protective mask, although even then he may need to spend some time on the treatment table.
