Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho has suffered a devastating injury setback, sustaining yet another hamstring problem during Celtic’s Premier Sports Cup final defeat to St Mirren at Hampden Park on Sunday. The recurrence of the injury deals a major blow to the player and Head Coach Wilfried Nancy.
The 29-year-old was making his first start since returning from a previous hamstring injury, having only recently resumed action by coming off the bench in Celtic’s Europa League loss to Roma in midweek. Nancy handed Iheanacho a place in the starting line-up for the cup final, but the striker lasted only 35 minutes before pulling up while chasing a forward pass near the touchline.
Iheanacho immediately clutched the back of his leg, and although he briefly attempted to continue, the medical team withdrew him as a precaution. Johnny Kenny replaced him on the pitch.
The incident raises immediate concerns over another potentially lengthy lay-off, compounding a season already defined by injury woes for the forward:
Iheanacho previously missed six league matches, the Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Rangers, and a Europa League fixture against Midtjylland due to a similar issue.
This latest setback comes barely weeks after Iheanacho returned from the hamstring injury he originally sustained in a Europa League match against Sturm Graz in October.
His appearance against Roma marked his first minutes in almost two months, underscoring the stop-start nature of his Celtic career since joining the club on a free transfer in the summer.
The repeated fitness issues represent a significant problem for Wilfried Nancy, especially as Celtic also deals with other key players, such as Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston, currently sidelined.
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