Celtic have clinched the Premiership title, and in doing so, they have given themselves some freedom when it comes to mixing the lineups and giving some of their key players rest.
They will utilise this freedom for their upcoming matchup against Aberdeen, as manager Brendan Rodgers announced in a recent media appearance that the club will withhold Daizen Maeda from the lineup this week.
This will give Maeda time to clear himself from the injury he has picked up, and ensure he is fully healthy for their upcoming matches, especially the Scottish Cup final. Rodgers had the following to say regarding the injury:
"Daizen will recover, he just came in this morning with a bit of...sort of a little niggle, he trained, but we're keeping him here just to get him treatment, and make sure he's ok for the weekend in the following week. So there’s no need to take any risk with him."
Protecting the star player of the club from further developments is likely the right idea, especially with a key match on the calendar in the coming weeks, which they will most certainly need the prolific goal-scorer for. While this will change the lineup quite a bit for their next match, it ultimately is not the most notable, given things have been wrapped up in the title race.
With Maeda solidifying himself as the star man for Celtic, who can become the leading scorer in the wake of Kyogo Furuhashi leaving, ensuring he is all set from any injuries and protecting him at all costs should be the first priority from here on out.
Maeda is not the only one that Celtic will be without against Aberdeen. Cameron Carter-Vickers has also been left out of the team. The expectation is that the American will be fit in time for the final as well.
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