EBOUE SCARE
New Celtic signing given all-clear after malaria tests EXCLUSIVE
KOUASSI EBOUE missed one of his first training sessions with Celtic due to a suspected bout of malaria.
Sportsmail understands the recent £3million signing from Russian side Krasnodar spent a day at the infectious diseases unit of Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after complaining of feeling unwell.
However, having been given the all-clear after tests, the 19-year-old midfielder (pictured) was told he was free to go and has subsequently resumed training at Lennoxtown.
It is not known when the player, who hails from Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, could have contracted the mosquito-borne infection as it can lay dormant in the blood for up to four years. Former Celtic defender Bobo Balde, a Guinea international, contracted malaria in 2004.
Eboue will not feature against St Johnstone tomorrow night but is believed to be nearing consideration for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Yesterday, however, the Celtic
manager was more worried by the scheduling of the next Scotland-England game — voicing his frustration the Hampden showdown on June 10 is a potential nightmare for his top players and those at other clubs. On course for a domestic Treble, the Celtic manager hopes his side are involved in the Scottish Cup final on May 27. Were they to make it that far, however, as many as six Scots would be unable to then go on their summer break due to the Auld Enemy clash looming two weeks later. The knock-on effect is that Rodgers’ players may only have ten days’ holiday before returning to Lennoxtown to prepare for European qualifiers — most likely in the Champions League. Were they, or international players from any other club, to fail to make the cup final, a three-week lay-off between the end of the league season and the England game would present another problem. Rodgers believes having international games scheduled by FIFA on such a date takes no account of the schedules of clubs outwith the major nations. Asked if he believed June 10 to be a nightmare in terms of his preparation, he said: ‘Yes, and also for players. For players, it’s not great. ‘Some who don’t make the cup final finish a bit before that. That’s them finished, but they’ve got to kick on again. So it’s not a good date at all. ‘If you look at June right the way through, there is not a free date. Look at the UEFA games. It’s all blocked out for games across Europe. ‘That comes into consideration for a senior player. If you are 17, 18, 19… you will play all the time. ‘I remember talking with Arjen Robben at Chelsea and he said he hadn’t had a break for seven years. Not one summer free for seven years. ‘You can say you are getting well paid, but that’s the job. The better they are, they get paid more. ‘That still doesn’t stop your legs being tired or mental fatigue.’ Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon attempted to deal with the problem by giving some of his top performers a week’s rest if they got the title wrapped up early. Rodgers insists that is only something he can look at if and when he is in a position to do so. ‘I think it’s something that’s probably done up here,’ he added. ‘I’ll see how the players are. ‘I think we’ve had the break now, that period of rest. ‘We want to be the best we can be this year. I’ll think about it a bit later on. ‘But we have to do our job, which is to win as much as we can. ‘To do that, everyone needs to be focused.’