Strachan expects Celtic players back from isolation on Sunday

Gavin Strachan has revealed that Celtic’s players and management will begin returning from self-isolating from Sunday with everyone back at the club ahead of Wednesday’s match against Livingston.

Three members of the club’s coaching staff, including manager Neil Lennon and assistant John Kennedy, along with 13 players, were forced to self-isolate when Christopher Jullien returned a positive Covid-19 test after a training camp in Dubai.

That left Strachan in charge of the team for Monday’s 1-1 draw with Hibs, when he had to field a makeshift team, and he will be in the dugout and picking from the same players when Livingston travel to Celtic Park on Saturday.

But he said that the stars, and manager, will be back in place for the re-arranged fixture against David Martindale’s team on Wednesday.

“As I understand it, I think it is Monday that (Neil Lennon and John Kennedy) are back in,” he said.

“I think we have some guys back in on Sunday, and some back in on Monday, as I understand it.

“They will be assessed in terms of their fitness because they have been off for a little while but they should be available for selection.

“Everyone that was involved on Monday against Hibs and who was in training during the week have all returned negative tests.”

The coach also revealed that 19-year-old midfielder Scott Robertson will be available after returning from a loan spell at Gillingham.

“Scott Robertson is back in,” Strachan confirmed. “His loan at Gillingham has been ended so he has come back into the fold.

“He is another one, good player, good character, who has come back in.

“He is still a young lad but he played nearly 20 games for Gillingham so he is primed and ready to go.

“But for the most part it is going to be the same guys who were there on Monday.

“It has been a steep learning curve for most of them.

“But hopefully as their careers progress it turns out to be a positive experience for them, being around the first-team environment, seeing what the demands are, seeing the processes we work to and hopefully they can develop.”