Latest reports from Clyde Super Score Board suggests that Celtic’s influential center-back Dedryck Boyata could be out for the next few weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury in the game against Aberdeen in the League Cup final. The exact date of return is not yet known, but Rodgers did go on to say that the defender would miss few weeks of action.
December is often the worst time to get injured as games come thick and fast during the festive period. This injury would have major repercussion in Celtic’s big tie against Salzburg in the Europa League which is almost a must-win game for the Bhoys.
The Hoops have done well in the past two months especially at the back as Boyata and Filip Benkovic formed a strong partnership. Boyata definitely went on to win back the supporters after the summer saga where he refused to play in the Champions League qualifiers. One can even say that Boyata was a big miss and could be termed as one of the major reasons why the Hoops missed out on playing in the Champions League.
It seems quite clear that the 27-year-old won’t stay at Park Head for long and maybe just maybe, the League Cup final was the last time that he ever played for the Hoops as there is every possibility that the club can look to sell him in the January window.
Reportedly (The Daily Mail) Fulham are set to revive their interest in him in January after a £9m bid in the summer was rejected. We believe the club should look to sell the defender instead of allowing him to leave for free next summer. With reports (The Daily Record) confirming that Filip Benkovic would stay on at Park Head until the end of the season, a good offer for Boyata should definitely be given due consideration by Brendan Rodgers.
In Boyata’s absence, Jozo Simunovic is going to be the likely replacement as long as Kristoffer Ajer doesn’t recover from his facial surgery. The Croatian put in some inconsistent performance at the start of the season along with Jack Hendry and the departure of Boyata would present him with a good opportunity to prove himself.
However, the Hoops would hope that losing Boyata doesn’t become the reason for their downfall especially when they have a real title challenge on their hands with a resurgent Rangers side gunning for the Premiership title this season.
Boyata was signed in 2015, and one can say that he is going to leave as arguably the best defender in the league. After a good World Cup campaign, it was clear that the Hoops would find it hard to keep hold of him. But now with the latest injury, his time on the pitch at Celtic could be over, and that should be a big blow for the club especially with the busy run of fixtures.
