Liel Abada could LEAVE Celtic as Brendan Rodgers admits empathy for Israeli star with 'family in war'

Brendan Rodgers admits Liel Abada might have to leave Celtic because the winger still isn't in the right frame of mind to play.

Abada was given time off by the Celtic boss and he missed their Scottish Cup win over St Mirren after Rodgers revealed he just wasn't himself. The Israeli winger is in an extremely difficult position amid the ongoing conflict between his homeland and Palestine and a section of the Celtic support have regularly supported Palestine - with the Green Brigade urging fans to sing Grace on Saturday in a show of support for the Palestinian people.

The Premiership champions continue their title defence this weekend and go into Saturday's clash with Kilmarnock to go three points clear of Rangers again, with their rivals not playing until Sunday lunchtime. Rodgers said at his press conference ahead of the game that Abada is likely miss out again this weekend. And he admitted there's a 'possibility' he could leave in the summer as he still isn't in a condition to play.

Rodgers said: "I'm really empathetic towards the issue that he has. It's more than football, it's at a human level. I have to respect that. He's training, he's working away, but this period (in the season) is all about the mind. And if you're not quite ready, I can't take any risk. I have to protect the player firstly, because he's important, and the squad as well.

"People can talk about what's going on there and then they can forget about it. This is a reality for him, this is his life. Every day, every night, his family is in war. It's a really tough situation for him. On a human level, I have real, real empathy. It's my job and we will look after him. When he's ready, if he ever is ready, he'll be there to give us everything."

Rodgers