Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou explains Liel Abada absence from Jablonec victory
The summer addition has impressed since signing from Maccabi Petah Tikva for a fee of around £3.5 million, scoring twice in four games.
He was absent from the second-leg of his new club’s third qualifying round match at Celtic Park, but Postecoglou has revealed it was purely a precaution and he should be back in action when they face Hearts in the Premier Sports Cup this weekend.
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Hide AdThe Celtic head coach said after the 3-0 victory:” “He pulled up a bit sore yesterday. He’s 19 and we’re throwing him in there.
“He’s been unbelievable but I just felt it was about time to give him a rest. The medical team think he should be alright for Sunday. We erred on the side of caution.”
In his place came James Forrest. The 2018/19 Scottish Player of the Year has endured a frustrating time of late after missing most of last season through injury and now appears to be behind Abada in the pecking order.
The Scottish international staked his case for a start against Robbie Neilson’s visitors with an impressive showing against Thursday’s Czech opponents, including scoring his side’s third on the night.
Postecoglou added: “Having James there is really handy. It’s one of the areas where we have a little bit of depth and quality. I thought James was great tonight.”
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