Noel Whelan has become the latest pundit to react to an injury update on Celtic midfielder David Turnbull, Football Insider report.
The Lowdown: Postecoglou’s comments
Turnbull is yet to feature in green and white in 2022 due to a hamstring injury he picked up against Hibernian in the Scottish League Cup final in December.
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The 22-year-old was a regular prior to the injury, making 34 appearances in all competitions under Ange Postecoglou.
The Celtic boss confirmed last week that the plan was for the attacking midfielder to return to full training this week and even refused to rule Turnbull out of the game with Ross County on Saturday.
The Latest: Whelan reacts
Whelan, formerly a pundit on BBC Radio Leeds, was talking to FI regarding Turnbull and his return to training. He labelled it as ‘like having a new signing’ and said it was ‘really exciting news’ for the Hoops.
“He really hit the ground running at Celtic but has been out for quite some time now.
“Turnbull was their shining light through a really bad period at the start of the season. But now, he’s coming back into the fold at exactly the right time.
“Postecoglou will need these players and these numbers in his ranks if Celtic are chasing a goal. It’s like having a new signing, it’s really exciting news.
“The run-in will be so difficult but to have that quality change of personnel could be the difference.
“He’s someone that the Celtic fans are really excited about, and I can see why. He’s a brilliant young player for them.”
The Verdict: Ange to be cautious?
We are entering the crunch stage of the campaign, with the Hoops still on course for a domestic treble in Postecoglou’s first season.
It is obviously brilliant news knowing that Turnbull was due to join in training at Lennoxtown this week, however, it may make sense for the manager to ease him back into action.
You’d expect there is a better chance of a full return to competitive action against Rangers following the international break, but it looks as if Celtic’s main creative star will play a key part in the final months of the season, and who knows, Kyogo Furuhashi may not be far behind.
In other news: Sky Sports man drops fresh Celtic takeover claim regarding £150m man.