Martin O’Neill shares positive injury news ahead of Celtic’s Dundee fixture

Martin O’Neill delivers encouraging Celtic injury update ahead of Dundee opener

Martin O’Neill has revealed Celtic are close to having a full-strength squad available again as players return from their World Cup commitments ahead of the Scottish Premiership opener against Dundee.

Seven Celtic players represented their countries at this summer’s tournament across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with several only recently reporting back to Lennoxtown after extended international campaigns.

Kieran Tierney, Anthony Ralston and Sebastian Tounekti all featured in Saturday’s pre-season draw with AC Milan after their nations exited at the group stage, while those involved in the latter stages of the World Cup are still building up to match fitness.

Speaking ahead of Flag Day, O’Neill expressed confidence that the remaining international players would soon be back with the squad.

The Celtic manager explained that some players had been given extra time following their international commitments and personal circumstances, stressing there was no need to rush them back after a demanding summer schedule.

O’Neill expects the entire group to have returned by Monday and admitted he had hoped Alistair Johnston would feature briefly against AC Milan. However, the club’s sports science staff advised caution, with the defender instead continuing his recovery programme.

The Hoops boss also confirmed that Yang has resumed training after a minor setback earlier in the week and is expected to be available again shortly.

There was further positive news regarding Benjamin Nygren, who missed the friendly against Milan because of a minor Achilles complaint. O’Neill believes the issue is not serious and expects the midfielder to return in the near future after also representing Sweden during the World Cup.

With Celtic’s league opener fast approaching, O’Neill’s update suggests the champions are on course to welcome back almost every member of the squad, providing a timely boost as preparations for the new season enter their final stage.