The Hoops have had a short off-season and Hay is worried there could be a spate of knocks around October time.
Celtic legend Davie Hay has expressed his opinion in the Evening Times regarding the club’s players being overworked and not given enough rest, fearing that Neil Lennon could end up dealing with a spate of knocks come October time.
In the majority of top-flight leagues, the off-season tends to be longer, with a summer break in the region of eight weeks, while in Scottish football, European qualifiers and League Cup fixtures mean that teams have competitive action in July, which has a knock-on effect on the amount of time players have off.
In Celtic’s case, they are already back in pre-season ahead of their Champions League qualifiers, with the first qualifying round getting underway on 9-10 July (Herald Scotland), and some clubs have already returned to pre-season training only a week after a round of Euro 2020 qualifiers (BBC Sport).
Hay has made his feelings clear in saying it’s “not enough” for some players to be “lucky if they get a week off” given the rigours of the previous season, with Celtic’s treble Treble side having played an especially high amount of fixtures given how far they’ve got in all the domestic cups.
“They need a complete break from football for a minimum of month in order to rest properly and recharge their batteries,” Hay wrote in the Evening Times. “The only way around it is Scotland’s UEFA coefficient improving.
“But the Celtic players seem to be able to cope with the demands on them. They just get on with it. As a player, you want to play. You tend not to feel tired. Don’t be surprised, though, if some of these boys start to pick up knocks around October time. Their bodies haven’t recovered sufficiently from last season. Neil Lennon may have to take his regular starters out of the side in lesser games and give them a rest.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
