Rest and be Thankful – Cameron Carter-Vickers reckons he needs summer break

The 27 year-old has had a mostly injury-free run in defence, featuring in 44 matches this season – matching his own highest number of appearances in a single campaign, equal to the 2021/22 season.

Although CCV remained fit throughout the season, the USA international – who was excluded from Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT training camp in Chicago – is now anticipating a well-deserved break this summer.

Following last Saturday’s Scottish Cup final defeat to Aberdeen at Hampden, Carter-Vickers acknowledged that the season’s end has arrived at an opportune moment. “It’s been a long season for me,” said the defender post-match. “My body probably needs a break, and mentally it’s also important. It’s a chance to recharge until the end of June now, and I’ll use every day of that.

“After the game, the manager spoke and said we will all hurt for a while after this, but at some point, we’ll reflect on the season and see that we won the league and got another cup in the bag. We also had a decent Champions League campaign.

“We’ll hurt for a few weeks, but we also have to reflect on a good season. Right now, we’re upset, but we’ll get back to work soon. It was disappointing to watch them [Aberdeen] lift the cup. However, I think that it will fuel us for next season.”

Similarly to Carter-Vickers, fellow American international Auston Trusty was omitted from Pochettino’s squad in Chicago, as the former Spurs, PSG, and Chelsea boss chose experienced capped players like Tim Ream and Toulouse’s Mark McKenzie instead.

Back in 2020, during the forgettable 2020/21 campaign under Neil Lennon, McKenzie was rumoured to be joining Celtic but the move never materialised.

Conor Spence

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