‘Holding His Hamstring’ Celtic Handed Early Tomas Cvancara Injury Concern
Celtic have already been handed an injury worry over winter arrival Tomas Cvancara after the striker was forced off during his debut against Hearts.
Heading into the January transfer window, it was clear Celtic needed to strengthen their attacking options. While business has been limited so far, the loan signing of Cvancara from Borussia Mönchengladbach has at least provided Martin O’Neill with a different profile up front.
With Johnny Kenny yet to prove he can lead the line consistently at Parkhead, questions remain over whether Cvancara can fill the void. Time will tell, but his start to life in Glasgow has already raised concerns.
The Czech Republic international was handed an immediate debut against Hearts, starting just days after arriving from Germany. Cvancara showed promising movement and energy but lasted only 66 minutes before being replaced by Sebastian Tounekti.
Despite the early substitution, O’Neill appeared encouraged by what he saw.
“I thought his run for the goals was fantastic, absolutely fantastic,” the Celtic boss said after the match. “He will do fine for us over time. He has only had a couple of training sessions with his teammates.
“He has got really good pace, did well, has good control, and I was really pleased with him.”
However, O’Neill also revealed the reason behind Cvancara’s withdrawal, and it will worry Celtic supporters.
“He was holding his hamstring,” O’Neill admitted. “I was worried about that, and that is why we replaced him.”
Now attention turns to the severity of the issue. If Cvancara’s hamstring problem proves more than precautionary, it would represent a significant setback for Celtic, losing a striker brought in to solve their attacking problems after just over an hour of football.
Given the club’s recent injury struggles, it would be another frustrating blow in what has already been a challenging period.
For now, Celtic can only hope the change was purely preventative and that Cvancara will be available for the next match, an important Europa League clash against FC Utrecht. With Celtic sitting 24th in the group stage table, goals will be crucial, and the Hoops could certainly use their new striker firing on that night.
All eyes will be on the medical update in the coming days.