Greg Taylor is delighted to see his mate David Turnbull back in business after three arduous months on the sidelines.
The Celtic playmaker gave the squad another big boost ahead of the run-in when making his comeback from a serious hamstring injury in the weekend rout of Ross County.
Turnbull had played a key role for boss Ange Postecoglou through the opening six months of his reign before suffering the devastating setback during the Premier Sports Cup Final against Hibs just six days prior to Christmas.
The midfielder hobbled off in tears at Hampden and started out on his lengthy road through rehabilitation.
Turnbull completed that journey with his sub appearance in the 4-0 win over the Highlanders which kept his team clear at the top of the Premiership.
Taylor says his pal’s return comes at a perfect time and explained: “It’s another big boost to have David back.
“He’s a goal threat from midfield. We’re incredibly strong in there, but that’s what you want because it brings everyone up to a better level.
“Hopefully, David can go on and contribute the way he was at the start of the season.
“He’s a good friend of mine as well, so I tried to keep his spirits high when he was down and he’s reacted really well and put in the work.
“He deserves everything he gets. We knew each other from the Under-21s briefly, but once you become club team-mates, you get that wee bit closer and he’s a top player and a top friend.
“It’s been a long hard road, but I’m sure having a full Celtic Park to come back to, that’s why you do the work in your rehab.
“I was really pleased for him as all the lads were. It was a nice game for him to come on.”
Taylor knows it would have been tough for Turnbull to go through the gruelling recovery period as it’s been a scenario faced by several of the Celtic squad this term.
He continued: “We’ve not had it easy along the way. A lot of us have had quite long-term injuries and it was good to see David back out there.
“I think certainly injuries-wise, we’ve almost got the majority of boys back. You want that, you want your strength in depth because everyone is going to be called upon.
“The gaffer’s a big one for the work throughout the week is the reason we perform how we do on the weekend.
“As long as we can keep the training standards high, that’ll be important until the end of the season.
“Everyone has contributed throughout the season, however many bodies we’ve used.
“That’ll be the same until the end of the season. Definitely. Some boys might not be called upon in terms of pitch time.
“But, equally, you can’t discount how important they are when they train the way they do. It keeps the levels high throughout the week.
“It’s definitely down to the manager and his philosophy. We’ve not looked for excuses throughout when anyone has been injured.
“It’s just another hurdle to jump over and we’re aiming to do that until the end of the season.
“You still see everyone. You’re not out of the picture because you’re injured. You’re still seeing everyone every day and you try to ask how the rehab is going on, etc.
“Hopefully for them they get back as quickly as they can because no player likes being injured.”
Taylor’s point was proven by the fact that Giorgos Giakoumakis smacked his second successive Parkhead hat-trick to sink County.
The Greek striker suffered with his own injury issues in the opening half of the campaign with a two-month absence restricting him to fleeting appearances and just one goal.
During that stage of the campaign, Kyogo Furuhashi was flying up front and rattled 16 whilst assuming the mantle of main marksman.
However, with the roles reversed and the Japanese now the one stuck on the sidelines, Giakoumakis has stepped into the breach.
The attacker has nabbed 11 goals since the winter break with nine in his last seven games giving superb impetus to the team.
Furuhashi’s countryman Daizen Maeda, who was also on target against the Highlanders, has also pitched in with half a dozen since his January arrival.
Taylor believes that spreading of responsibility and the way the squad has covered the absences of each other across all areas of the park has proved a crucial part of their make-up.
Captain McGregor and Jota are amongst others who have had lengthy absences along with Turnbull and Taylor himself and he said: “He [Giakoumakis] has done really well, he’s contributed to the group with his role.
“He can be really happy with his day’s work against Ross County.
“When Giako has had his opportunities he’s taken them, the same as the majority of boys have to be fair.
“Whether it’s been Kyogo up there, Giako, Daizen, Albi [Ajeti] scored a few goals at the start of the season.
“Everyone has played their part and it just happens to be Giako’s part now.”
