CELTIC have been handed a boost by the Scottish Government after it was confirmed that contact training could return on Monday. Celtic and the rest of Scottish football have been training in small, non-contact groups ahead of August’s restart but the news today will be a welcome boost as pre-season training ramps up.
Breaking … good news for @spfl Premiership football : contact training approved from tomorrow morning. This update: “The JRG can now confirm that ministers have formally approved full contact training for Scottish Premiership clubs from tomorrow, Monday 29 June….”
— @Kheredine (@Kheredine2018) June 28, 2020
“… We would therefore encourage clubs to inform all Team Staff as soon as possible to facilitate the updated guidance & clarify that the approval for full contact training is inclusive of all Phase 4 requirements outlined in the JRG Return to Training protocols reissued on Fri”
— @Kheredine (@Kheredine2018) June 28, 2020
Earlier this month, Neil Lennon said that should the training progress through without Scottish Government guidelines reinforcing a lockdown, he would consider a training camp abroad. Now as the training intensity is allowed to increase and Celtic have been touted for a place in Lyon’s tournament in July, it is likely that a training camp will be planned outside of Scotland.
“Initially, we will be training in small groups which is fine, just basically bedding the players in again. Then we may look to go away to a training camp. We are pursuing a couple of avenues that may be a possibility.
“That would maybe allow us into training in bigger groups, which is obviously very important in your preparation for the new season. All those processes and think clouds are all in place at the minute. We do feel confident that if there is the possibility of going to a camp, we will.”
Celtic are due to return to action in August but as of yet, there is no fixture list only the date to work towards. The fixture list will be gruelling and challenging from the get go and in order to complete on all fronts, Celtic will need to be at their best.
Celtic were on track to win another Treble when the league was called but can still win the Scottish Cup when football resumes later in the year. The Scottish Champions were 13 points clear when the Coronavirus pandemic halted the league prematurely, meaning that Lennon’s team couldn’t improve upon that lead.
Lennon will know how important this next year is and he will stress that to any players that arrive but the rest of the squad will know how important this year is for the club. Continuity is a big thing and that is why re-signing guys like Fraser Forster and Moi Elyounoussi is imperative, they know what is expected of them at Celtic.
