Celtic have been dealt another worrying setback ahead of their crucial clash with Hibs, with Martin O’Neill confirming that Tomas Čvančara could be facing the end of his season.
The timing couldn’t be worse.
With the title race entering its final stretch and every game carrying real weight, O’Neill revealed that the Czech forward is now battling a groin issue serious enough to raise the possibility of surgery — a development that would rule him out completely.
Speaking on Friday, the Celtic boss didn’t hide the concern around the situation.
“He’s got a bit of a groin strain,” O’Neill said. “They’re talking about the possibility of getting it seen to now. We’ll have a look at that.
“When I say get it seen to, that might involve a small operation or something like that. But we don’t know yet at this minute. He has to go for some more tests.
“If he had the operation, then you definitely wouldn’t see him again. But I’d like the specialist to have another look at it.”
That last line says everything.
If surgery is required, Čvančara’s season is over — and with it, any chance of him playing another part in what’s shaping up to be a defining run of fixtures for Celtic.
There is still a slim window of hope. Further tests will determine whether he can avoid going under the knife, but as things stand, it’s a race against time.
And it leaves Celtic light up front at a critical moment.
O’Neill is expected to continue relying on Daizen Maeda through the middle, with Kelechi Iheanacho offering support, but Čvančara’s absence removes another option just as the pressure is peaking.
It’s a frustrating blow for the 25-year-old, who had started to show signs of settling in after his January arrival from Borussia Mönchengladbach. He chipped in with two goals and two assists, including the decisive penalty in the Scottish Cup quarter-final win over Rangers at Ibrox.
There had been quiet optimism that a strong finish to the campaign could earn him a permanent move.
Now, that looks increasingly unlikely.
With an injury cloud hanging over him and a potential return to Germany looming, it’s hard to see how that path reopens — especially if his parent club decide to play it safe rather than risk further damage.
More broadly, it adds to a growing list of frustrations around Celtic’s January business. Aside from a couple of bright spots, the new arrivals haven’t had the impact many expected — and Čvančara’s situation only deepens that sense of what might have been.
For now, all eyes turn to the medical update.
But as things stand, this is far from the news Celtic fans wanted to hear heading into one of the biggest games of their season.