Cameron Carter Vickers Celtic injury latest as instant Kilmarnock return question gets spiky Rodgers response

Cameron Carter-Vickers could play for Celtic THIS weekend despite a hamstring scare against Hibs.

But Brendan Rodgers says it will all depend on the results of a scan - and admitted the synthetic Kilmarnock pitch could also play a part in whether he comes back instantly. There were audible groans among the Celtic faithful when key defender Carter-Vickers didn't emerge for the second half in their win over Hibs during the week, though fears were allayed by Rodgers after the game who said it was just a precaution.

It's not expected to be a long-term absence but the Hoops sent Carter-Vickers for a scan just in case. And Rodgers says the results of that will determine when he can return. He said: "We'll assess Cam over the next couple of days. He didn't pull his hamstring but we just had an MRI scan on that to make sure he's OK. We'll await the results of that."

He was then pressed over whether he could be available this weekend, but that question got a short and sweet response. "Well, if the scan shows nothing, then clearly," he curtly replied.

The astro pitch at Killie could also come into his thinking as Rodgers admitted: "You have to think clearly about the surface if there's guys that have certain injuries, knees, ankles or whatever. It is a consideration but I won't overthink it either. It's a tough game for us so we want to have the strongest squad available to try and win it."