Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou explains Liel Abada absence from Jablonec victory

Ange Postecoglou assured Celtic fans there is no serious injury concern with Liel Abada after the young attacker was omitted from the squad for Thursday’s Europa League clash with Jablonec.

Celtic attacker Liel Abada has impressed at Parkhead so far. Picture: SNS

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.

The 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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