Ange Postecoglou’s time at Celtic has been mixed till now. But the club appear to have rediscovered their form once again. They have won three games on the trot, against Aberdeen, Motherwell and Ferencvaros respectively. As a result, it is safe to say that things are looking up once again for the Hoops.

One of the biggest problems that Postecoglou has faced since coming in is injuries. But recently, there has been some good news on that front as well. The likes of Kyogo and Callum McGregor have come back and already made a difference, while the likes of Christopher Jullien and James Forrest appear to be closing in on their returns as well.

One man who has had his fair share of fitness worries since arriving as a free agent in the summer is James McCarthy.

He has not featured in any of the last three games and has not even been in the matchday squad for the past two. Initially, no reason was provided for his absence but Postecoglou has now cleared the mystery.

Postecoglou clears McCarthy’s Celtic absence mystery

It looks like McCarthy picked up a small muscular problem recently which has kept him out of the team. As reported by The Scotsman, the Celtic manager said:

“He trained [on Monday], but on his own. We didn’t want to rush him back so we’ll see how it goes by the end of the week. It’s just a small muscular problem, so we’re hoping he’ll be available.”

Celtic had been linked with McCarthy for years and decided to sign him this summer as a free agent.

While that did raise a few eyebrows, it was understandable. McCarthy is a Premier League proven player and while he has had his fitness problems in recent seasons, one can hope that he can put those behind him and rediscover his form. At the top of his game, he is a great player.

What was confusing though is the fact that Celtic handed him a four-year deal. McCarthy is 30 years of age and has a history of injury issues. So that was certainly a surprise and it remains to be seen how it works out.

This article was originally posted here