Karamoko Dembele will return to Celtic training after a period out of action due to a fractured ankle injury sustained in the pre-season. Dembele made his debut against Hearts and gave Aaron Hickey a runaround in an impressive 45 minutes in the Hoops. However, since then, he has failed to really kick on under Neil Lennon with the expectation that he would move to the English Premier League.
Ange Postecoglou could be able to call upon the highly-rated young winger in the coming weeks now that he has been able to get him fit and involved in his first-team plans. Ange Postecoglou appears to be keen on the England youth Internationalist that came through Celtic’s Lennoxtown setup. With just six months remaining on his current deal, it is now a case of make or break for the highly-rated youngster.
The 18-year-old was forced from the field in the draw with Bristol City during pre-season along with Mikey Johnston. Whilst Johnston is back involved in the first team, Dembele has been working back towards returning to action. With the winter break coming at the right time for the team, Dembele could force his way into the plans given the injuries to Jota and James Forrest in the wide areas.
The youngster scored his first goal for the club in a win over St Johnstone towards the end of last season. The promising attacker came on for James Forrest in the second half and made an immediate impact, finding the net with a smart finish. Hopefully, Celtic will reap the rewards of Dembele’s obvious talents when he returns from injury.
John Kennedy helped integrate Dembele but the season was already done, many thought that this was due to the youngster running down his contract but Kennedy confirmed he had a year remaining at the tail end of last season. The worry for Celtic is that the player will be free to speak to new clubs in January. Postecoglou will be keen to keep the talent at Celtic Park, to improve him and help raise his profile. An additional loan move would be ideal but with just months left on his deal, Celtic must attempt to get him back into the first team.
With the sustained spell on the sidelines, the opportunities for Dembele may have changed somewhat but his reputation and form with England means that he will be highly sought after. Celtic will be keen to maximise their investment in the young winger and get him playing regularly in the first team.
