BBC Sport - Football - Celtic's Shaun Maloney faces four months on sidelines (original) (raw)

Maloney was hurt during the 2-2 draw with Inverness last month

Celtic midfielder Shaun Maloney will be out of action for up to four months following ankle surgery.

He went off injured after nine minutes of the 2-2 draw with Inverness on 27 November, when Celtic last played.

Maloney had been captaining the side since mid-October in the absence of the injured Scott Brown.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon also said central defender Glenn Loovens would be out for a month with a medial knee ligament injury picked up in training.

"He [Maloney] had surgery on Monday," said Lennon. "It was a simple procedure but he will be out for a length of time.

"We are looking between three and four months. It's a huge blow for us and obviously a huge blow for the player."

Maloney was injured when his close-range shot in the second minute was smothered by Inverness keeper Ryan Esson and he was forced to leave the field at Celtic Park seven minutes later.

It is the latest in a series of setbacks for the the 27-year-old Scotland international.

Last season he did not play beyond October after, first, suffering tendinitis in his ankle and then picking up a number of niggling injuries.

He also missed four months of the previous season with a persistent hamstring problem.

"He was starting to show his best form this season," added Lennon.

"He had a horrendous run of injuries in the previous season.

"It is frustrating obviously because he worked very, very hard to get back to full fitness when he has been out.

"This is not a soft tissue injury, it is a trauma that he picked up against Inverness.

"It was early in the game as well and on conclusion it was decided that surgery was required."

With Brown and Maloney missing, Lennon is likely to make defender Daniel Majstorovic his skipper.