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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is hopeful Daizen Maeda will return to action before the end of the season.

It was feared the Japanese winger would miss the Hoops’ title run-in and Scottish Cup final after suffering a hamstring injury in recent weeks.

He missed their league win against St Mirren and their dramatic penalty shoot-out victory against Aberdeen in the semi-final last weekend.

Sunday 28th April 2:45pm


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But ahead of Sunday’s game at Dundee, live on Sky, Rodgers revealed his recovery has been faster than expected.

“Initially we were thinking it might have been his season over, but he’s been out on the pitch,” he told Sky Sports News.

“He won’t be ready for this weekend, but we have a feeling we will see him at some point before the end of the season which is great news for us.

“He’ll finish off doing his rehabilitation at the beginning of next week out on the grass with the medical team and then we’ll assess it from there.

“It would be a massive boost for us because he hasn’t missed that much so fitness-wise he won’t have lost a great deal even though he is a machine physically.

“Someone like him provides us with a great intensity in the game and obviously that inspires others.”

Celtic are three points clear of Rangers with five games left to play, including an Old Firm clash live on Sky on May 11.

The manager is confident his players will rise to the challenge of securing another league title.

“This period in the season, it’s always been said that Celtic get their trophy heads on,” added the manager.

“That’s about concentration and mentality and bringing a performance level to the games.

“That’s something that’s been consistently done here over a period of time, and what I would expect likewise in these remaining games.”

Scottish Premiership and SWPL on Sky Sports

Sky Sports – This season up to 48 cinch Premiership games will be available across Sky Sports’ flagship channels, including Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event, plus at least five SWPL matches. From 2024/25, up to 60 cinch Premiership will be live on Sky Sports, in addition to the SWPL.

Sky Sports News – Running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Scottish football fans can enjoy Sky Sports News’ (channel 409) rolling editorial coverage of the cinch Premiership and SWPL throughout the season.

Sky Sports Digital – Follow all the latest from Scottish football across SkySports.com and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage, in-game clips from matches live on Sky Sports and free highlights.

Sky Sports Social – Alongside coverage and visibility for the league across all Sky Sports’ main social media channels, the bespoke X page @ScotlandSky will continue to be the home of all Scottish football content on Sky Sports.

Highlights show – Tune in for a dedicated round-up from the cinch Premiership every week on Sky Sports Football.

Sky Sports is the home of domestic football in the UK and Ireland, with action from the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Women’s Premier League, Premier League, WSL, EFL, and more.

Follow Celtic with Sky Sports

Follow every Celtic game in the Scottish Premiership this season with our live blogs on the Sky Sports website and app, and watch match highlights for free.

Want the Celtic latest? Bookmark our Celtic news page, check out Celtic’s fixtures and Celtic’s latest results, watch Celtic’s goals and video, keep track of the Scottish Premiership table and see which Celtic games are coming up live on Sky Sports.

Get all this and more – including notifications sent straight to your phone – by downloading the Sky Sports Scores app and setting Celtic as your favourite team.

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