Celtic defender Erik Sviatchenko has been sidelined for almost three months.
The Denmark international suffered a knee ligament injury in August, ruling him out for a number of months after making just two appearances beforehand in Champions League qualifiers against Linfield and Rosenborg.
Now, the commanding defender could provide Brendan Rodgers with a huge injury boost ahead of their two remaining Champions League fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain and Anderlecht, with the Europa League slot up for grabs.
The former FC Midtjylland defender has declared he wants to return in time to feature in both matches, with the likes of Nir Bitton, Kieran Tierney and Mikael Lustig playing at centre-back on occasion to cover the loss of Celtic’s number 28.
With Dedryck Boyata and Jozo Simunovic suffering injuries throughout the season too, Sviatchenko’s absence has seen Israel international Bitton drop into the middle of the defence after plummeting down the midfield pecking order.
The summer signing of Olivier Ntcham from Manchester City, as well as the emergence of Stuart Armstrong and Callum McGregor last season saw 26-year-old Bitton struggle for game time towards the end of the 2016-17 campaign.
He has rejuvenated his amount of first-team football by reverting to centre-back, but with Boyata now fit and Sviatchenko nearing a return, could Bitton’s Celtic career hit the skids once again?
As quoted by the Scottish Sun, Rodgers has even confirmed that he wants to sign a new central defender in the summer, which could diminish Bitton’s first-team chances even more so.
With the January transfer window looming, the only way Bitton is going to earn his Celtic place back is by going elsewhere on loan and proving to manager Rodgers that he has what it takes to shine for the Hoops.
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