McManus relishing Caley clash

Celtic defender Stephen McManus insists the Tennent’s Scottish Cup quarter-final tie at Inverness holds no fear for him.

The 24-year-old recently returned after four weeks on the sidelines, allowing him to make a full recovery from the groin injury he sustained on Champions League duty against Benfica in November.

His comeback match was the January 28 Bank of Scotland Premier League clash at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium where he helped the champions to a 2-1 win.

The Parkhead side were drawn to play Caley on February 25 after disposing of Livingston at Almondvale in the last round.

McManus expects a tough physical contest against Inverness and told the Celtic View he looks forward to the more robust type of away matches.

He said: “If you are a physical kind of player you enjoy these games.

“And if you ask any physical player, they will tell you that they relish the challenge of going away from home, where there are a lot more tackles to put in and headers to be won.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the match at Inverness to be honest.

“I had only trained for two days in the lead-up to the game.

“So it was just great getting back in and picking up three points.”