One minor disappointment ahead of tomorrow’s friendly against Wolves at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin will be the absence of Maik Nawrocki as he recovers from a minor injury. Nawrocki was notably absent from the Lennoxtown training video which the club released footage of yesterday, and it looks like it was indeed due to injury.

Reports before he joined the Hoops in his homeland had stated that the towering defender had been missing from the side due to these minor health concerns; however, many had thought it was just because of the Hoops’ interest and that a deal was being close to being concluded for the Legia Warsaw man.

It looks like that was not the case and he was legitimately injured during his last days in Poland. Unfortunately, this now means that we won’t be graced with his presence on the television screens tomorrow – or at the ground if your lucky enough – in a Celtic jersey. No doubt there was loads of supporters desperate to see what the big centre-back could bring to the table, but it looks more likely that we’ll have to settle for just seeing our double singing from Korea!

Oh well…

May 2, 2023, Warsaw, Poland: L to R Dominik Hladun, Kacper Tobiasz, Maik Nawrocki, Igor Strzalek of Legia celebrate a winning match during the ceremony after Fortuna Polish Cup final match between Legia Warszawa and Rakow Czestochowa at PGE National Stadium. Final score Legia Warszawa 0:0, 6:5 on penalties Rakow Czestochowa. Warsaw Poland – Photo Mikolaj Barbanell

With the outcry about the defence during our Japan Tour, it would have been nice to see Maik in action against Wolves. The English Premier League side will provide a stern test although they themselves are still in their pre-season before the domestic calendar starts back. It promises to be a good gauge of where we are in our preparations and gives Brendan Rodgers the chance to tinker with the team too.

Paul Gillespie