manager: we've no worries over naka

DAVID FRIEL in Portugal
CELTIC manager Gordon Strachan has allayed any fears over Shunsuke Nakamura’s impending hernia operation by revealing that the Japanese playmaker could be back playing football in a matter of weeks.

Nakamura, who joined up with the squad last weekend after the summer break, has only been able to take part in light training in the Algarve and will fly to Germany next week.

Upon his arrival, he will be seen by the same surgeon who operated on Darren O’Dea in April. The Irishman’s treatment went without a hitch and he was back playing in the Glasgow derby just two weeks later. The Hoops boss hopes Naka’s recovery time will be similar.

"Shunsuke has come back with a hernia problem,” he said. “He jogged for a couple of days but twisting and turning is a problem.

“He’ll go away to Germany to see the same guy who operated on Darren. He was only out for a couple of weeks so it could be the same for Shunsuke, although some people take longer than others.

“I know people hear the word operation and think ‘Oh no’ but it's not like that. It’s not that big a problem.

“There has been wear and tear with Naka but that’s just his body giving him a wee nudge saying that it’s time for a wee rest. That’s what we’ll do…give him a couple of weeks’ rest.

“In saying that, he’s mentally strong. Most top players feel they can play all year around now anyway. The thing is he's still jogging and doing a lot of running.

“His fitness level should be fine because if you stop training for two and a half weeks your fitness level doesn’t drop.”

Nakamura missed last night’s 1-0 defeat by Cardiff City in the Algarve Challenge Cup and was joined on the sidelines by a host of his team-mates, meaning the manager had to alter his plans.

He explained: “Koki Mizuno will get a meniscus operation, which is in his cartilage, on Monday. That will see him out for a couple of weeks.

“Evander Sno and Chris Killen are at the Olympics. Cillian Sheridan and Ben Hutchinson have hamstring injuries while Paddy McCourt only trained one day.”