Brendan Rodgers has been handed a huge pre-season boost with Cameron Carter-Vickers hooking up with the squad in Portugal.
And the Hoops boss could even have the big defender back in the side ahead of schedule for the Premiership kick-off against Ross County. The US World Cup star is recovering from knee surgery after missing the last month of the season to go under the knife. Club chiefs originally penciled Carter-Vickers in to return towards the end of August, but it is understood the 25-year-old is making solid progress and is targeting the league opener at the start of next month.
The centre back was one of the stars of the season under Ange Postecoglou and is expected to be a vital man with Rodgers at the helm. Celts start their campaign at home to the Staggies but there are several big matches coming thick and fast in the early weeks of the new term.
Rodgers’ side head across the city to Ibrox on September 3 – and the Champions League to follow three weeks later. Carter-Vickers will be given time to get up to speed and is only likely to take part in light training during this week’s warm weather camp in Portugal.
Rodgers will get the chance to assess his full squad from today as all of the Parkhead club’s big hitters report back from international duty. Star turns such as Callum McGregor, Kyogo, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate all joined up with the group in the Algarve with work beginning this morning.
Rodgers has spoken to his international stars already, some in person and others – such as the Japanese aces – on Zoom. But the Irishman has admitted he’s keen to get down to business with the full side with bounce games arranged in the Algarve and the team set to head to Japan this weekend.
Rodgers spent last week putting the non international players and youth prospects through their paces and he admitted he was blown away by the early first impressions.
Rodgers said: “Normally, now in the modern game, very rarely do you get your players back at the one time. So that always gives you a chance to see the young players, and I’ve got to say I’ve been really impressed with, both the established guys in the first-team squad.
“They’ve been excellent, their attitude is outstanding and they’ve come back in really, really good condition, so they are back already fit. That gives us the chance to really build on that, and the young players.
“Of course a lot of them I haven’t known and they’ve been pleasantly surprising and really, really good. Sometimes a young player can come in and suffer with the intensity of training with the first team, but they’ve all coped really, really well and that’s been pleasing.”
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