DEM’S THE BREAKS
Rodgers prize asset tells Moussa he must take bench time on the chin
IT has been months since Moussa Dembele was Celtic’s big noise.
A recurring hamstring injury has turned down the volume over the striker’s soaring valuation after he ripped up the Scottish Premiership last season.
Sporadic appearances so far this term have brought just one goal and headlines which screamed of moves to Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid have been replaced by a hush.
But Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers (below) insists he has been careful to keep the lines of communication open with a youngster who has been physically and mentally nursed back to health.
He said: “Silence is a death sentence for a player. You can’t not talk to him.
“If you live your life as a player and there is no communication, then you get in your car after training and your agent calls. It will be, ‘Are you playing? Why not?’
“Then you go home and your family is asking. It becomes a circus. Communication stabilises emotion and you are always trying to do that with a squad. He’ll get opportunities as the season pans out.
“It’s about recognising where Moussa is at. He is a top talent, a fantastic player, and it’s about communication with him.
“But Moussa gets it. That has always been my feeling with him. He knows how good a player he is but he’s also been humble with it.
“He respects where the team is at and knows he has to fight and work to get in there. That’s football. It’s not always an upward
curve.” Meanwhile, Rodgers insists he’s ready to bolster his decimated rearguard in the January transfer window. But the Celtic boss believes bad luck rather than flawed forward planning is the cause of a crisis which has Jozo Simunovc joining Erik Sviatchenko on the sidelines. The Bosnia stopper will miss today’s Betfred Cup semi-final against Hibs with a recurrence of his hamstring injury. And Rodgers admits it has reinforced his need to add cover in the new year. He said: “It’s definitely an area I need to look at now. In the meantime we move on with the players we have and we’ll always look to find a way. “Jozo just seems to pick up these niggles an knocks. It was the case before he came in as well but it’s definitely an area of the pitch where you need stability. “Eric is back in training but won’t be ready for the semi. “The unfortunate thing for us is that it hasn’t just been one player who’s been affected – it has been two and sometimes three at a time.” Hibernian defender Paul Hanlon is expected to be passed fit for the semi-final despite missing training with a virus. Steven Whittaker has been troubled by a sore hip and will be assessed.