CELTS HOPEFUL OVER CHRISTIE
at Arsenal to strengthen their case. Both players were ordered to self-isolate for a fortnight by health officials 11 days ago after ex- Celtic team- mate Stuart Armstrong tested positive for Covid-19 while they were on Scotland duty.
But Arsenal hope to have Tierney available for their Premier League game with Manchester City tomorrow evening.
And while Armstrong would be available for selection for Southampton this weekend, after a 10-day quarantine, Tierney and Christie have been instructed to stay at home.
But yesterday Gunners boss Mikel Arteta insisted he was hopeful of having Tierney in his squad for the trip to the Etihad.
The former Ibrox star said: “We are still having some discussions with the authorities.
“This is getting very complicated when you are sending players abroad and obviously lose control.
“Some authorities have different regulations to the Premier League.”
While Celtic’s top brass are awaiting developments down south this morning, manager Neil Lennon has already lost at least two players to coronavirus.
Nir Bitton and Hatem Abd Elhamed are out of the Old Firm clash, with the Israeli duo remaining in their homeland after a Covid-19 diagnosis on international duty.
Lenny’s star striker Odsonne Edouard could also miss the match after a recording a positive swab after reporting for action with France Under-21s.
And while Edouard’s availabil i ty remains unclear, the Hoops have not given up hope of Christie being given a green light to play after a series of negative tests over the last week.
A Celtic source said: “We are watching the situation with Kieran and Arsenal very closely but we’ll have to wait and see how those discussions go.
“If Arsenal are given permission for him to play on Saturday then it would be difficult to understand why the same would not apply to Ryan.”
Curiously, there is still no confirmation of when Edouard will arrive back in Glasgow after he completed a 10-day isolation in Paris.
But Celtic did move quickly to hire a private jet to fly keeper Vasilis Barkas back into the country in the early hours of yesterday after fears the £5million new boy could be left stranded in Athens by an air traffic control strike.
Barkas was on the bench as Greece drew 0-0 with Kosovo in a Nations League clash on Wednesday night.
Lennon, meanwhile, insists football chiefs must now reconsider player safety issues around Covid- 19 during the international breaks.
He said: “It can’t go on the way it is going because we are losing too many players. Not just us but a lot of other clubs as well.”