Mixed news for Celtic

Celtic have received mixed news on the injury front ahead of the trip to Dundee United and the crucial Champions League clash with Bayern Munich next week.

Midfielder Alan Thompson has targeted the Bank of Scotland Premier League game at Tannadice for his return to action.

But Scotland Under-21 international Shaun Maloney is being monitored closely after being stretchered off in the game against Croatia on Tuesday night. He was struggling with a tight calf when he arrived at Parkhead this morning.

Now his progress will be looked at closely before manager Martin O’Neill makes a final decision on his fitness.

Thompson, meanwhile, has not featured for the Hoops since the 4-0 win over Aberdeen in October following a calf strain which kept him out of the England squad to play Denmark at the weekend.

But Thompson is now aiming to put that disappointment behind him in time for the visit of Bayern next Tuesday.

He said: “I don’t usually suffer from strains and pulls and I’ve had two in the last six weeks so it would be nice to think I’ve done my share of sitting on the sidelines for the season.

“It’s good to get back and hopefully now that’ll be me. Hopefully I can get a good week of training under my belt and then be in contention for the trip to Tannadice.”

Thompson’s injuries could not have come at a worse time. He missed out on the last European tie against Anderlecht, denying England number two Tord Grip the chance to see him in action.

But he is hopeful more top-class displays for Celtic mean he will be given another chance by England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Thompson said: “It has been a frustrating time with the injuries because I’ve missed some big games. The most frustrating aspect of all was missing the Anderlecht game.

“The most important thing for me just now is to get myself fit and playing well and the main thing is that Celtic are winning and doing well.

“It was disappointing that I was injured when Tord Grip was supposedly coming to the Champions League game but it’s up to me now.

“I need to keep this kind of form up for Celtic and see what happens.”