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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Aidan Macdonald

Brendan Rodgers provides Reo Hatate injury update

Brendan Rodgers has provided an injury update on Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate.

The Japan international limped off six minutes into the 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid at Parkhead with a suspected hamstring injury which left him in tears.

 When asked about the knock, Rodgers told BBC Radio Scotland: "It's too early to say. It looked like it was a hamstring [injury] but we'll see how that is."

The 50-year-old also explained his thinking on the tactical tweaks implemented during the fixture.

The Scottish Champions led twice in the clash thanks to goals from Kyogo Furuhashi and Luis Palma but were pegged back, firstly by an Antoine Griezmann penalty and then thanks to a clinical header from Alvaro Morata. 

And with just under 30 minutes to go Rodgers took off Palma and replaced him with Liverpool loanee Nat Phillips and the 50-year-old explained the substitution.

Rodgers told TNT Sports: "It was just something I had thought about before the game. I could see at that point in the game that our backline was getting stretched because Atletico Madrid move the ball side to side really well.

"I felt we were just starting to experience some fatigue in the game maybe just because the speed of the game is not what we are used to.

"Bringing him [Phillips] in and going to a 3-5-2 with the extra body up front helped us defend when they stretched the line."

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