Could Nir Bitton deal further blow to Eboue Kouassi’s Celtic future?

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Celtic midfielder Eboue Kouassi is reportedly in danger of missing the rest of the season after sustaining a knee ligament injury.

Just as he was enjoying a decent run in Brendan Rodgers’ side, Eboue Kouassi was handed an incredibly cruel blow when he had to be taken off during the early stages of Celtic’s League Cup semi-final with Hearts last month.

At the time, the injury looked like it may not be too serious as Kouassi continued for a little while longer and seemed annoyed when he was substituted. But unfortunately for the 20-year-old, it appears set to be a devastating blow.

According to BBC Sport earlier in the month, Kouassi looks set to miss the rest of the season after sustaining a knee ligament injury. It is another setback that the £3 million signing did not need – fee reported by the Daily Record.

Kouassi has made just 12 league appearances since arriving in January 2017. Scott Brown’s remarkable form has largely kept him out of the team, and Callum McGregor’s superb performances in that deep-lying role this term suggest that he could easily prove to be Brown’s successor in a few years.

And perhaps Kouassi’s Celtic future may have been dealt another blow with Nir Bitton returning to full training having not played for Rodgers’ men since February.

The news that Bitton is back in training has largely gone down well amongst the Celtic fans. And if the Israel international can rediscover his best form, there is no reason why he cannot re-establish himself as an important player for Rodgers’ squad.

If that proves to be the case, then Kouassi could end up returning in the summer needing to displace three players in the pecking order – and that could, of course, become even more challenging if Rodgers decides to strengthen further in that area of the pitch in an upcoming window.

Kouassi has the potential to bounce back from this major blow, and it would be wrong to suggest that the door is shutting on his Celtic career, but if Bitton manages to get back to his best, the task facing him upon his return becomes a lot tougher.