Valgaeren raring to go

Celtic defender Joos Valgaeren is finally ready to return to training after a nightmare catalogue of injuries this season.

The 27-year-old has started just seven games in a season interrupted by groin problems.

But the Belgium international wants to get back to business as soon as possible.

Valgaeren told celticfc.net: “I am close to full fitness and I hope I’ll join in training tomorrow and Friday with the rest of the first team.

“I will need a couple of games at under-21s level to get my match fitness and my sharpness back. But I hope I have had my bad luck for the season now.”

Valgaeren is determined to try to make up for lost time.

“I want to put my injury worries behind me and play a part in the remainder of the season,” he said.

“Pre-season was fine, and then I played a couple of games and I was involved in the qualifiers for the Champions League. But from then on it was one injury after another.

“I played a few under-21s games and then came back and got injured in training. It has been a nightmare season for me, but I hope that’s it behind me now.

“These things happen in football, and you have to accept it.

“It has been a while since I played first-team football, so I do need my sharpness back. But I would like to think that I can soon start pushing to play again.”

Valgaeren recognises his chances of making an immediate return to first-team duty are limited after the form Stanislav Varga has shown this year.

But the Belgian is the first to acknowledge what his Slovakian team-mate has done so far this year.

Valgaeren said: “Stan Varga has done brilliantly this season.

“It took a little time for him to settle here and get his fitness up. But no one can imagine Celtic without him at the moment – that’s how influential he has been.”

He added: “I’m looking forward to getting back, because I’ve hardly been involved and the healthy league position isn’t down to me; it has been down to the guys playing every week.

“The guys have done magnificently over the season. It has been great so far, but there are an awful lot of games to play.

“We know what can happen if we lose a couple of games. It is a nice position to be in, but we won’t be letting our concentration slip at all.”