Celtic could ease Idah injury blow by unleashing 18-goal academy star

Celtic have 13 days without a competitive match to worry about as they head into the final international break of the year, with the next one not until March 2025.

Brendan Rodgers‘ side head into the break on a high after beating Kilmarnock 2-0 on Sunday to move to the top of the Scottish Premiership table on goal difference, ahead of Aberdeen in second.

The Hoops had also beat Bundesliga side RB Leipzig 3-1 in the Champions League at Parkhead in midweek, which came shortly after they had smashed Aberdeen 6-0 to make it through to the final of the League Cup.

These results show that Celtic have been in terrific form across all competitions of late and, because of that, the international break may not have come at the best time.

Hopefully, the break will not stop their momentum and they will be able to carry on from where they left off when they return to action against Hearts away from home in the Premiership.

One thing that Rodgers will be wary of during the break is injuries, as he will not want any of his stars to suffer setbacks whilst playing for their respective countries, and there is a concern over Adam Idah at the moment.

Latest on Adam Idah’s fitness

The Republic of Ireland confirmed on Monday that the Celtic centre-forward has decided to withdraw from their squad for the upcoming matches due to an injury.

There was no mention of the nature or severity of the blow, however, but it is one that has prevented him from being able to link up with his country this week.

Idah did have to get patched up during the 2-0 win over Kilmarnock on Sunday after a blow to the head, but continued playing after that incident, and it remains to be seen whether or not this is a continuation of that issue.

The summer signing from Norwich City also had a scan on an ankle injury at the end of October, after a poor challenge from Motherwell’s Liam Gordon caused him some issues, but he has played three times since that clash at Fir Park.

Supporters may not know the severity of the injury until Rodgers sits down for his pre-match press conference next week ahead of the Hearts game, but – right now – it is a concern that Idah is potentially out with an injury.

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The Ireland international was brought in from Norwich for a reported fee of up to £9.5m and has largely played a back-up role to Kyogo Furuhashi so far this season.

Adam Idah’s season in numbers

In the 2024/25 campaign, the 23-year-old centre-forward has contributed with five goals in 16 appearances in all competitions so far for the Scottish giants, starting five of those matches.

This comes after Idah racked up nine goals and two assists in 19 outings during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan from Norwich, starting just seven of those games, which means that he would have to fire in four goals and two assists in his next three games to equal that return.

Despite his impressive form whilst on loan last season and the significant sum of money paid to bring him back on a permanent deal, Rodgers has preferred Kyogo Furuhashi as his first-choice centre-forward in the Premiership and the Champions League.

The Japan international has started eight of the 11 games in the Premiership and three of the four matches in the Champions League, which has made it hard for Idah to get into a rhythm.

As you can see in the table above, the Irishman has struggled to provide regular quality in the final third of the pitch with his lack of minutes as a starter across both competitions.

Despite not being a regular starter, losing him to an injury would still come as a blow to the Hoops, as he is the only natural striker in the squad other than Kyogo.

Rodgers could, however, ease that blow, should Idah end up out of action for any games after the break, by finally unleashing Daniel Cummings, who has been in sensational form for the academy this year.

Why Daniel Cummings should be unleashed

The 18-year-old centre-forward has showcased his quality in front of goal at youth level since the start of the 2023/24 campaign and an injury for the Ireland international could provide him with an opportunity to shine.

Last season, Cummings fired in 12 goals in 19 appearances in the Lowland League for the B team, but struggled in Europe with a return of zero goals and one assist in five outings in the UEFA Youth League.

This term, however, the Scotland U17 international has scored four goals in four matches in the UEFA Youth League, including two goals against RB Leipzig at home last week.

Along with that, Cummings has also scored a staggering 14 goals in 12 appearances in the Lowland League, which takes his tally up to 18 goals in 16 games across those two competitions for the academy, as well as 26 goals in his last 31 Lowland League matches.

These statistics show that the teenage sensation, who has been dubbed a “hot-shot” by journalist Pete O’Rourke, has been ruthless and prolific for the B team, which has not been the case for Kyogo at first-team level.

As you can see in the table above, the Japanese marksman has struggled with his finishing in both the Premiership and the Champions League this term, missing 14 ‘big chances’ in just 15 games.

This suggests that, if Idah is unavailable, Rodgers will need an alternative option if Kyogo is misfiring in a match and that is why Cummings must finally be unleashed for his senior debut, to reward him for his sublime academy form.

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