Brendan Rodgers admits Celtic's Israel international Abada may leave on loan

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has conceded that Israel international Liel Abada may leave the club on loan amid concerns around his ability to focus on football.

The 22-year-old will miss Saturday's Scottish Premiership game with Kilmarnock after not being in the right frame of mind to face St Mirren last weekend.

Abada has faced criticism in his home country because of strong declarations of support for Palestine among Celtic fans.

Palestine flags have flown among Celtic supporters amid Israel's ongoing military assault on Gaza.

"It's still the same situation," Rodgers said. "I have had lots of conversations with Liel and I am really empathetic towards the issue he has. It's more than football. It's at a human level, so I have to respect that.

"He is training, he is working away, but this period is all about the mind and if you're not quite right or ready, firstly I can't take any risk with him, because we will always support the player, and obviously I also have to protect the squad as well."

Rodgers took the then injured Abada out for dinner to discuss his situation in the wake of the 7 October attacks, and he is continuing to offer his support to the player, who did not rediscover his previous form after returning in December.

"I take a great responsibility, that's why we are here," the former Liverpool manager said. "My job isn't just a football manager.

"This is a young guy, 22 years of age, far, far away from home. People can talk about what's going on there and then they can forget about it. This is the reality for him, this is his life. Every single day, every night, families in a war.

"So it's a really, really tough situation for him. On a human level, I have real, real empathy for him.

"There's many situations I have