Brendan Rodgers details Liel Abada's Celtic injury hammer blow as training mishap blamed for FOUR month layoff

Disappointed Brendan Rodgers says Liel Abada will be out for three to four months after "doing his thigh" in an Israel shooting drill.

The winger went away with Israel but pulled up in training and was unable to feature in any of their games. Abada returned to Celtic to be assessed by his club and reports in his homeland today suggested he would be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines. And while Rodgers says it isn't as bad as the five-month timeline initially mooted, he says he'll be without the player for three to four months - into the "second part" of the season.

Speaking ahead of the clash with Dundee, Rodgers said: "He's gone to London today for a scan but we think it's going to be three to four months. He picked it up at the end of training in a shooting exercise, he's done his thigh muscle.

"It's a shame for him as he's done well in pre-season. He started a lot of the games since I've been here and he's done well, so we're disappointed. It's a squad game for us so we'll look to other players to come in.

"He signed a new deal, he was looking happy, and I was looking forward to continuing his development. It's a shame, it's a learning curve for him. He'll work hard and hopefully get back and we'll use him for the second part of the season."