Elyounoussi edging back towards full fitness
Mohamed Elyounoussi is expected to be back by the end of the month, according to Celtic boss Neil Lennon.
Elyounoussi joined the Bhoys on loan from Southampton in the summer and was flying before suffering a foot injury.
The Norway international’s best spell came in October as he scored five goals to earn himself the SPFL player-of-the-month award but picked up a problem in November and has appeared just once since.
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That sole outing came as he played 45 minutes in December’s Scottish League Cup final win over Rangers, being brought off at the break after he struggled to make an impact.
After that blip, the Bhoys’ medical staff have been more cautious with their approach to his recovery, forcing Lennon into some creative line-ups, with neither James Forrest nor Mikey Johnston as effective on the left wing as their preferred right.
The boss selected a winger-less formation for Saturday’s 2-1 Scottish Cup fourth-round win at Partick Thistle and may opt for something similar on Wednesday evening against Kilmarnock.
While Saturday’s match against Ross County is expected to come too soon, Elyounoussi could return against St Johnstone in a week’s time.
“Mo should be fit by the end of the month. He’s out on the grass now doing some fitness work,” Lennon said. “It’s been a long one for him after coming back a little bit early for the cup final.
“He has a stress reaction on his foot and after the cup final it flared up again. It’s not been able to settle but hopefully he’ll be OK by the end of the month.”
