Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is right not to rush Christopher Jullien back from injury.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to injury expert Ben Dinnery, who stated his belief in a recent interview with Football Insider that, despite the lengthy spell the centre-back has spent on the sidelines, Celtic have made the right call in not immediately rushing the 28-year-old back to first team football.

Speaking about Jullien’s recovery, Dinnery said: “It’s always going to be difficult when you’re in the gym and training on a one-to-one basis. You’re missing out on the banter and if the team is doing well, you want to be a part of it.

“The initial timeline with his injury was in and around four months, and now we are approaching 10 months. The important thing with any long-term injury is to give yourself small goals. Rather than looking to the end, it’s all about small motivating factors.

“It will be dispiriting, but it needs to be contextualised. It’s a risk and reward strategy. You would rather have an extra month out than risk returning too early and putting yourself out of action for even longer.

“At this moment in time, learning that you’re not going to be ready until late November is massively upsetting. But there is another six months left of the season and a lot of football to be played.”

Fans will be delighted

While Ange Postecoglou and the Celtic fanbase would undoubtedly have liked to see Jullien recover from his injury considerably earlier than his late November return date, the fact that the Hoops are taking all the right steps with the defender, and thus minimising the risk of a recurrence of his injury, is sure to delight everyone involved with the Bhoys.

The phrase like a new signing is perhaps overused in football, but it is undeniable that, upon his eventual return to the Parkhead pitch, the Frenchman will undoubtedly feel like a new addition to the Celtic squad – and at an incredibly important stage of the season.

Indeed, over his nine Premiership fixtures prior to his injury last year, the £4.95m-rated defender helped his side to keep five clean sheets, scored one goal and registered one assist, along with making 1.2 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and 3.6 clearances and winning 6.9 duels per game.

These returns saw the 28-year-old, who Chris Sutton dubbed a “leader”, average a SofaScore match rating of 7.43, ranking him as the club’s second-best performer in the league last term.

As such, with the £18k-per-week centre-back set to return shortly before the hectic Christmas schedule, his reintroduction should undoubtedly provide Postecoglou’s chances of going on to reclaim Celtic’s Premiership crown with a considerable boost.

In other news: Nicholson must sanction Celtic swoop for prolific 24 y/o beast, he’s Edouard’s heir