Celtic skipper Brown sidelined for three months
- adamhigginsuk
- Jul 9, 2014
- 2 min read
Huge loss: Former Hibernian midfielder Brown, who enjoyed one of his best seasons with Celtic last term, will miss the start of the 2014-15 campaign (Picture from Creative Commons)
CELTIC captain Scott Brown is expected to be sidelined until October after tearing a muscle in his hamstring during a pre-season friendly.
The 29-year-old Scotland midfielder was stretchered off after just 60 seconds of their 1-1 draw with Rapid Vienna on Sunday but scans have confirmed their worst fears.
Brown is likely to miss Celtic's Champions League qualification campaign, the start of their Scottish Premiership title defence and Scotland's opening Euro 2016 qualifier against Germany.
Speaking after the Hoops' 5-2 win over Lask Linz on Tuesday, new manager Ronny Deila said: "It is not positive news for Scott. He will be out for two months, maybe three.
"That's hard for him and it's hard for us. But we can't do anything about it. We have to try to get him back on the pitch as quickly as possible.
"The hamstring has been almost ripped off. Scott doesn't need an operation, which is a positive thing. However, it is quite a big injury."
But Deila admitted he is not rushing to buy a replacement and has been impressed by the players who have stepped up in Brown's absence on the pre-season tour of Austria.
"We have good midfielders who can step up while Scott is out," he added.
Beram Kayal and Liam Henderson have caught the eye while defender Charlie Mulgrew is equally adept in the middle of the park.
Full-back Adam Matthews believes the injury is a huge setback for the Glasgow club with the new season on the horizon.
"Scott will be a big miss. He has been a great player since I've been here and it's a massive blow for us," the 22-year-old Welshman said.
"Scott's the captain and you don't want him to be out for too long. He will be a big miss but I think we have players in the squad capable of replacing him."
Last updated: 9 July 2014 10:03am
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