Brendan Rodgers explains Celtic transfer challenges as Premier League big bucks lead him to alternate markets

The previous guy in the Parkhead hot seat bristled at being branded a lucky man.

But there’s not much chance of Brendan Rodgers feeling particularly fortunate right now. The Unlucky Man, more like. Rodgers arrived in Glasgow to talk of Celtic being in a position of strength, about taking the club to the next level and making a better fist of Europe. Facing the rapidly approaching first Old Firm game of the season with an entire IX either gone or injured certainly wasn’t part of the plan. The departures of Jota and Carl Starfelt and the retirement of Aaron Mooy has hobbled Rodgers of three trophy-winning stalwarts.

But now it’s the bone-shuddering injury list that added to the manager’s growing list of problems. Maik Nawrocki is the latest to get carted off to the x-ray department at Ross Hall and having spoken about taking on this season with four top class centre backs, Rodgers is currently dealing with the prospect of heading to Ibrox with just one of them available. And it’s the one who is only just in the door.

New Bhoy Gustaf Lagerbielke is the last man standing with Cameron Carter-Vickers crocked soon after making his comeback from knee surgery at the tail end of last term. Stephen Welsh announced a new four year deal on Friday morning and then suffered a nightmare injury in training minutes later that will snooker the Scotland under 21 ace for up to four months, while back up Yuki Kobayashi is also out for a few more weeks.

Further up the pitch striker Oh yeon-gyu is another one missing. Chuck in the fact Reo Hatate has gone from looking distracted to being inactive and it’s clear the injuries are undermining Rodgers’s attempts to put his own stamp on the side. Without Carter-Vickers and Hatate at Rugby Park