Fans and punters who like to bet on all Celtic matches were impressed with Cameron Carter-Vickers’ performance against theRangers on Sunday 30th April the Scottish Cup semi-final. The American International put on a show despite struggling with a recurring knee injury, which helped the Bhoys win the Glasgow Derby Hampden showdown, and win him the official Player of the Match award.
Although it was Jota who scored the only goal in the 42nd minute, CCV deserves all the praise for helping Celtic keep a clean sheet and drawing the Hoops closer to a domestic treble.
That was yet another brilliant performance from the 25-year-old, who has been outstanding the entire two seasons he has been at Celtic. CCV and Carl Starfelt’s coordination ensured Celtic dealt with all threats theRangers could pose throughout the match, keeping Joe Hart at ease. theRangers seemed dangerous in the second half as they hoped to equalise Jota’s header in the second half.
This duo has contributed significantly in Celtic matches throughout this season and last and has proven why we need them in the coming days.
Cameron to Miss Celtic’s Tour to Japan As He Goes for Surgery
Unfortunately, the semi-final against theRangers was his last game of the season as he is set to go for surgery to fix his recurring injury. According to reports, CCV is expected to be out for about 3-4 months after knee surgery, which will see him miss the coming pre-season tour to Japan and South Korea.
Although all the exact details about the coming tour are yet to be released, Postecoglou stated that the tour would be an excellent opportunity for the team to prepare for next season. The Hoops are set to play two matches in Japan and participate in various promotional activities then are heading to South Korea for a match against English Premier League side Wolves.
Most Celtic fans knew that the semi-final match was Cameron’s last this season and were grateful to him for delaying the surgery to help Celtic progress to another Scottish Cup Final.
Showing his joy for Cameron and Carl’s partnership after the match, Ange Postecoglou noted that CCV hadn’t put a foot wrong since Celtic signed him, and that he keeps growing as a player and as a leader.
The manager stated that he had tried pushing Cameron to have the surgery done a bit earlier. However, he was scared for the defender, so he let him do what he wanted!
Postecoglou Optimistic that Celtic Will Cope Without Cameron for the Rest of the Season
Ange Postecoglou is confident that Celtic will be able to cope without Cameron since they have had to deal with similar issues in the past. In the last two years, Celtic experienced a couple of extended absences from valuable players like Reo Hatate, Jota, Callum McGregor, and Kyogo Furuhashi.
Moving forward, Yuki Kobayashi is set to fill Cameron’s position for the rest of the season. Although the 22-year-old has only made four first-team appearances since joining Celtic on a free transfer from Vissel Kobe, the manager is optimistic that the Japanese international will show a good performance in the coming matches.
Kobayashi was impressive in Celtic’s wins against Morton, Hearts, St Mirren, and Kilmarnock, which is the reason Postecoglou is certain that the team will be alright.
Furthermore, if you look at the semi-final game against theRangers, Alistair Johnston was replaced by Tony Ralston following an injury on Sunday and was able to fit in in a big game despite him missing matches for a while. What the team needs from now on is a fantastic and enormous effort from everyone.
Final Thought: Cameron Has Been Exceptional Since Day One
Based on Cameron’s previous performances, there’s no doubt it was brilliant business signing him on a permanent deal.
Not just against theRangers in the semi-final, Cameron has had other outstanding performances that have helped Celtic reach where we are this season. Remember too that he scored a goal on his debut game against Ross County last season. He also helped us register a 6-point gap against Rangers when he scored the winner at Ibrox Stadium on 3rd April, 2022, where we beat them 2-1. Last but not least, he won the Dafabet Man of the Match Award when we thrashed St Mirren 5-1.
We can only wish Cameron a quick recovery while waiting for him to join us in the next campaign. Nonetheless, the coach is optimistic that Celtic will be fine despite his absence.
