Brendan Rodgers Expresses Frustration Over Avoidable Liel Abada Injury
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed on Thursday that young winger Liel Abada would be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The Israeli internationalist, who recently signed a new deal at Parkhead, will be greatly disappointed that he is going to miss a sizeable chunk of the season.
Indeed such frustration was mirrored by Abada’s gaffer, who thought his injury could have been avoided. Rodgers said (Glasgow Times): “To be out with something that you can actually control is the frustrating thing. Control as in, ‘don’t do the shooting exercise at the end of training. I had this before with a young player Suso who plays at Sevilla. When you fly and then you land and go out to training your legs are still full of pressure from flights. So, when you are shooting and doing repetitive exercises that puts strain on them.”
Still only 21 years old, Abada has a wealth of time to recover and hopefully, the injury won’t affect his career in the long term. The Hoops boss admitted, though, that his period on the sidelines could be of benefit to him: “It will be a good learning for Liel going forward.”
Everyone involved with the Scottish champions will hope Abada can recover in the quickest time possible, although his absence provides chances for others, according to Rodgers. He said: “It is what it is. There is an opportunity now for someone else to come in.”
Out wide, the likes of Yang, Luis Palma, and potentially even Rocco Vata will be eager to step in and fill the void vacated by Abada over the coming months. Although the injury is predominantly negative for the Celts, it could help players such as the aforementioned thrive with more game time.
