A goalkeeper was never in Celtic’s plans for the January transfer window, but manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed that a knee injury picked up by Craig Gordon against Hibernian on Saturday would likely force him to look for a replacement late in the market.
The 35-year-old clashed with former Hoops defender Efe Ambrose during an aerial challenge, and had to be replaced by Dorus de Vries who was making only his 2nd appearance of the campaign.
Rodgers’ transfer plans for the remaining 2 days of the window have now been disrupted with the unfortunate blow.
The manager claimed post-match: “Craig looks a bit more serious in terms of his knee, we need to have a look at that in the scan so it looks like he could be out for a period of time. I think Efe’s weight maybe twisted his MCL (medial collateral ligament) so we will see how that is.
“We sent young Conor Hazard out on loan (to Falkirk) to get experience. So that is an area we might need to look at for sure.”
He confirmed that he will “look at his goalkeeping situation” before the transfer window closes on Wednesday night, and finding the right replacement while working against the clock will be a very daunting task.
A goalie of Gordon’s status is particularly needed if Celtic are to have any chance in the Europa League, while the fact that he has prevented the side from losing and drawing some domestic games is also noteworthy.
The Bhoys could be forced to make do with de Vries until their first choice returns should a move for another goalie fall through.
