Celtic fans are gutted after boss Brendan Rodgers confirmed that Nir Bitton would “probably” be out for the rest of the season.
Talking ahead of the Europa clash with Zenit on Thursday night, as quoted by Eurosport, the Norther Irish manager said that the 26-year-old midfielder would likely need an operation which would rule him out for the rest of this season.
The midfielder has been used more in defence by Rodgers and adds to a long injury list that has left the club’s supporters thinking there’re cursed.
Dedryck Boyata, Craig Gordon, Leigh Griffiths, Jonny Hayes, Anthony Ralston, Stuart Armstrong and Patrick Roberts are also injured, while Marvin Compper won’t be fit to play in the competition.
The Australian player returned to the bench for the Scottish Cup win over Partick Thistle on Saturday after a long lay off with a knee injury but is unlikely to feature against Roberto Mancini’s side.
Brendan Rodgers as quoted by The Telegraph via Football News said:
“Overall, this year has been — in terms of injuries — tough.”
“Nir Bitton will probably be out for the season which is a blow for us.
Here are the best reactions from Celtic fans to the bad news:
Have we got an octagon in the middle of Lennoxtown? Bitton out for the rest of the season now.
IMO has a vital part to play when wanting to kill off games!— Ryan Herity (@RyanHerity1) February 15, 2018
Rodgers training too intense. Facts.
— James Binnie (@Ju5t1Cornetto) February 15, 2018
Another player down. Nir Bitton probably out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
— Moravcik67 (@Moravcik67_) February 14, 2018
Bitton ruled out for the rest of the season. They just don't stop coming. It's like our whole squad has turned into Daniel Sturridge.
— Simply [⭐] Celtic (@TheHoopsFan) February 15, 2018
Wow, in training? We seem to have quite a few injuries that happen out on training ground. WTH is going on….
— Peter Klein (@peter_klein61) February 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/Sidey1013/status/963958395974938624
https://twitter.com/JimmyBrollyCSC/status/964029793468665856
There has to be a degree of fault somewhere. Does extreme fitness form a sizeable part of Rodgers tactics and regimes? Seems far too coincidental.
— Paul Nangle (@PaulJamesNangle) February 15, 2018
Is Bitton actually out for the rest of the season now too? Our injury list is unbelievable ?
— Karl (@karldbradley) February 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/FocusOnCeltic/status/964036050334224384