Hogh & Tierney close to returns for Celtic

What the report says

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill says Kasper Hogh and Kieran Tierney are close to returning and could be involved in Wednesday’s Scottish Premiership match away to St Johnstone. The pair have been sidelined by injury, with Hogh, Celtic’s record signing this summer, last appearing in the Champions League play-off defeat by LASK on 25 August. Tierney also missed recent league wins over Aberdeen and St Mirren.

O'Neill said both players had been back in training in some form, though he stopped short of confirming they would feature. He also noted that Celtic have a few other fitness concerns and will assess the squad before deciding how strong a team to field. The BBC report adds that, in Hogh’s absence, Camilo Duran has been used at centre-forward and has scored six goals in eight matches this season.

Celtic will be without winger Yang Hyun-jun for the St Johnstone trip because of his involvement with South Korea at the Asian Games. O'Neill described Yang as a significant absence, especially with two league meetings against Rangers and a Europa League opener against Ferencvaros coming soon after. He said Wednesday’s match matters more than looking ahead to Sunday’s derby at Ibrox, stressing the need to focus on defending the title and winning the immediate league game.