Adam Idah may have missed out on the emotional return to his hometown pitch, but Brendan Rodgers has confirmed the striker will feature during Celtic’s upcoming training camp in Portugal.
Idah, who was back in Cork as Celtic lifted the inaugural Cork SuperCup on Tuesday night, wasn’t risked against his boyhood club after only returning to training on Friday following international duty.
Rodgers, speaking after the 2-1 win over Cork City, explained the rationale behind the decision and confirmed the striker’s involvement in the games to come.
“Obviously, emotionally, it would have been lovely, and I’d have loved to have played Adam here, but the international guys only came back on Friday, so he trained hard this morning and almost the other guys,” Rodgers told RecordSport.
“It’s just too big a risk, come back in after being off for the summer and you only train Friday, Saturday, we normally would give them at least a week before they would play.
“Adam knows. I think for him it’s just amazing for him to be back home, to come back, when I told him last year we wouldn’t be coming to Cork he was really excited about it.
“He understood why he wasn’t, but I know he’s loved being back here for this short time.”
Celtic head to Portugal next for a warm weather training camp, with behind-closed-doors friendly planned against Estrela da Amadora before facing Sporting Lisbon, where Idah is expected to get valuable minutes under his belt.
It’s then back to Glasgow for their Adidas Cup match against Newcastle United.
Then, as pre-season preparations reach their peak, it’s off to Lake Como for Brendan Rodgers’ side, as they prepare to face Ajax in the Como Cup.
The season starts in just under a month, and Brendan Rodgers will be looking to get his team flying out of the blocks, with a League and League Cup to defend this season, with fans also wanting to see progression in the Champions League.
