Will Fish is delighted to have become a Hibernian mainstay over the past few months after fearing his loan move from Manchester United was not going to plan.
The 20-year-old centre-back joined the Easter Road club on a season-long deal last summer in a bid to increase his exposure to first-team football.
With Rocky Bushiri, Ryan Porteous and Paul Hanlon all ahead of him in the pecking order, Fish had to wait until January to make his first start – and even then it was a disaster as he was played out of position at right-back before being subbed at half-time in a 3-0 defeat at city rivals Hearts.
However, the sale of Porteous to Watford and a serious injury sustained by Bushiri paved the way for Fish to start each of Hibs’ last 11 matches.
“You have doubts, but I always had the backing of the staff,” he said when asked if he feared his move to Hibs was not working out. “They were always in dialogue with me and they said I would get my chance and they’ve stuck to their word.
“In football, you have to get a bit of luck. Porto left and Rocky got injured and I managed to get my chance, and I’ve done alright. The more games you play, the more experience you get and you feel more confident.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here massively. I’ve had some bumps along the road but I feel like I’ve come out the other side better for it. I’ve really enjoyed it and I owe a lot to Hibs for giving me this chance.”
Before joining Hibs, Fish had made only three first-team appearances – one as a sub for parent club United and two while on loan at Stockport last term. With that in mind, the 20-year-old has been grateful to have 33-year-old Hanlon to help guide him at Easter Road.
“Paul’s been great,” Fish said ahead of Saturday’s match at home to St Mirren. “You couldn’t ask for a better centre-half partner for my first few games in men’s football. On and off the pitch, he’s great.
“He helps me through the games and we discuss things together. He’s a top lad.”
Fish is contracted to United until 2025 but is expected to go on loan again next term.
“I don’t know,” he said when asked if he will return to Hibs. “I’m just focusing on the next five games and then we can take it from there and see what happens.
“I’ve still got time on my contract but I think everyone is on the same page that I need to go out and play men’s football again (next season) so that will be the plan.”
Motherwell striker Mikael Mandron will live in the moment in the season finale and not concern himself with the future as he bids to make up for lost time.
Mandron joined Well from Gillingham in January on a contract until the end of the season and hit a Scottish Cup double at Arbroath on his first start.
But he suffered a thigh injury in training the following week which ruled him out of action.
The former Sunderland, Wigan and Crewe forward has now made six appearances and is in line to feature against Kilmarnock on Saturday.
The 28-year-old said: “It was really disappointing for me to get injured, I am not someone who usually gets injured. Especially after getting a good start.
“I was really keen to come here and hit the ground running so getting injured, it took me about six weeks because I really wanted to make sure it was right.
“I tried to stay positive while I was doing my rehab and the staff and players helped. I am really happy to be back.
“Obviously I am 100 per cent focused on the five games here and trying to do the best I can for me and the team and whatever happens in the summer, happens. We will see.”
Mandron is enjoying being a foil for Kevin van Veen, who has netted nine goals in his past six matches.
“It’s very easy to play with him,” he said.
“Kevin van Veen is one of those strikers who has everything to his game: he is strong, very good technically and smart.
“We always try to link up on the pitch and always communicate to try and work together. I really enjoy playing with him.
“He has had an amazing season, great credit to him. He has scored pretty much every game and is having a massive impact on the team and hopefully he can keep going for the next five games.
“His target is to get 30 goals and it would be great for him personally but it would also be great for the team.”
Motherwell have the chance to all but seal their top-flight status when they host Killie.
“They are in a position where they are fighting for their lives and we are trying to get as many points as we can from the next five games,” Mandron said.
“It’s very exciting. We all love playing at home, we have great support here from the fans and everyone is very excited for the game. I am anyway.”
Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski is eager to break the 20-goal mark in his first season in Scotland but does not care whether he is the club’s top scorer.
Both Miovski and Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes have netted 18 goals so far and 16 of them each in the league.
The North Macedonia international said: “It’s not like a competition. We support each other, we play for the same club. I am happy when he scores and he is happy when I score. If we continue to score goals then I think everyone at the club will be happy.
“At the start of the season our aim was to finish third and to score goals. I think that I have done well until now but we have five more games. Nothing is finished.
“We need to keep on this way and continue winning games. I want to score 20 goals so I am close to this number and I want to score more if I get 20.”
Duk is on a rich vein of form with six goals in his last six games, while Miovski ended a recent six-match barren spell by scoring against Rangers last time out.
Miovski is thriving in the partnership with the former Benfica attacker.
“He is such a funny guy,” Miovski said. “We enjoy playing on the pitch and we speak everyday at training as well on how we can improve and make new things on the pitch. I really love it when I play with him.”
The Dons are on a seven-game winning run which saw Barry Robson being handed a two-year contract as manager this week.
“He is a great manager and I am happy he has signed for two years more,” Miovski said.
“Of course we are enjoying it. We play very good football. Now we are more aggressive and we don’t concede a lot of goals.”
The Dons have the chance to consolidate third place in the cinch Premiership when they travel to Ibrox on Sunday.
“It’s always difficult when you play there but we are motivated,” Miovski said. “We beat them at home and we will go with the same mentality.”
Frank Lampard has praised the good intentions of Chelsea owner Todd Boehly and challenged his players to take the club’s first step into the future over the final weeks of the season.
Defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday will see Chelsea slip below Gary O’Neil’s side, who have battled relegation for most of the season, and they could fall as low as 14th.
Boehly, who has spent almost £600million on signings in the 12 months since buying the club, said this week that he and the hierarchy “very much believe we’re going to figure it out” after the team slumped to a sixth consecutive defeat – and possibly their most incoherent – against Arsenal.
It leaves Chelsea yet to break the 40-point barrier with five games to play, and on course to record their lowest Premier League finish in 29 years.
Lampard’s team need one more goal to avoid matching the club’s all-time lowest tally in a league season, 31, a record which has stood since 1924. The team are still 15 goals short of the club’s lowest return for a Premier League season.
Despite the damning statistics, Lampard said he has seen signs of positivity from the owners since he took over as interim manager a month ago.
“It’s a good thing to speak so positively,” he said of Boehly’s comments. “It’s what I’ve found since I’ve been here, good intentions on where the club is going to be taken.
“That’s good, and then from my point of view I’m working with the squad to try and get some turnaround in terms of feeling, performance and then results. It’s up to the owners of the club to take those bigger decisions.
“It’s not for me to talk about (a vision for the club). I’m here until the end of the season. I don’t think my vision at this point is for me to answer.”
Chelsea still have to face three of the top four on the run-in as Lampard looks to mastermind the team’s first win in any competition since March 11. The club have had three managers since that 3-1 victory against Leicester, and scored only four goals in nine games.
The 3-1 loss at the Emirates was as dismal as anything in what has been a hugely disappointing first season under Boehly, with the spirit amongst the squad seemingly at rock bottom as they sink down the table.
Lampard said: “All we can say in this period – everybody from the outside wants to say there’s not much on it (the run-in)….but for myself and for the players we have to show an immense amount of pride in what we do in the games. It’s the first step into the future.
“Will we need a reboot of some sense in the summer? Sure. That’s clear because we’re not where we want to be.
“But at the moment we have to do what’s right in front of us, and the fans you can be sure from my point of view will be pushing for that. I hope they can see the rewards of that, whatever they are.”
Chelsea have long since dropped out of the race for the Europa League and Conference League, meaning they are facing a first season without European competition since 2016/17 and for only the second time in 26 years.
Lampard added: “It’s not for me to sit on and feel hurt by too much. It’s more what’s the action that’s going to get us out of it. The action this season is not going to get us in the Champions League or in the top eight.
“Who knows where it might get, it’ll be like the first small step. You have to consider it in that period. Not all fans want to hear that, but it’s a reality which I’ve come back into.
“Every situation is different. I’m the third manager, maybe fourth. You can see from that that it’s been a tough season all round.”
Rangers midfielder Ianis Hagi hopes to use the end of the season to complete his long journey to full fitness.
The 24-year-old Romania international made his return from a year-long knee injury in January when he came on as a substitute in the 2-0 cinch Premiership win over St Johnstone at Ibrox.
Hagi has made one start – against Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup – and six substitute appearances in total under boss Michael Beale and ahead of Sunday’s league visit of Aberdeen, he opened up on his fitness tribulations.
He said: “ACL injuries are honestly no joke. It is really hard.
“You go through so many emotions, and once you’re back, most players are at their peaks in the season. I’ve basically started from zero and it’s the beginning of my pre-season.
“There’s not much time for training because at this football club you play every three or four days, and you need to deliver when you’re on the pitch.
“It’s a really tricky one where you need to fight through it and find minutes now and then.
“I’ve been in constant communication with the manager, see what is best for me and at the same time you want to win.
“I’ve been trying to push myself to the limits, to where I want to be.
“I’ve been building up my minutes, but it feels like I’m enjoying my football more and more. It’s unfortunate because the season finishes really quickly, but with these last five games, and the two with the national team, hopefully I can make the most of it.”
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Hon. Olivia “Babsy” Grange, says Jamaica intends to throw their hat in the ring in hopes of being able to host matches at next year’s ICC T20 World Cup set to be held in the West Indies and the USA in June.
“In relation to the World Cup, we are interested. We are looking at the numbers and I’m in discussion with Billy Heaven, President of the Jamaica Cricket Association,” Grange told SportsMax.TV.
“A letter was written to the Prime Minister about it by Cricket West Indies and he has referred the matter to me. We’re looking at the numbers and having discussions. The bid is coming up shortly so we have to make a decision very soon but it is something we’d like to do,” the minister added.
For context, Jamaica has not hosted a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match since 2019 and will, once again, not host any in the upcoming season. The country last hosted an international game in January 2022 when the West Indies hosted Ireland for three ODIs and three T20Is.
As it relates to 2023, “things didn’t quite come together for matches” according to CPL Head of PR and Communications Peter Miller.
“Talks are ongoing for 2024 and we are hopeful that we will have matches in Jamaica in the future.”
The main problem, as put by CPL CEO Pete Russell, has been “a lack of support from the Government and the private sector.”
“We have made no secret of the fact that we have lacked support in terms of bringing the CPL to Jamaica over the years and this has been a challenge,” Russell told the Jamaica Observer recently.
The CEO emphasized his point by drawing a comparison with Guyana, who will host the playoffs for this year’s tournament and have also submitted a proposal to host games at the World Cup.
“We feel that what CPL does for the host countries speaks for itself, with Guyana Government’s Cricket Carnival a prime example of what can be achieved if stakeholders work together. There was a 90% increase of international arrivals into Guyana in September 2022 with 31,050 international visitors arriving in the country. There were no hotel rooms available, and money was being put into the Guyanese economy,” he said.
“We want to be able to come back to Jamaica but, for this to happen, we need support from the Government and the private sector,” he added.
Ruben Selles believes Southampton have deserved more in recent weeks ahead of the must-win clash with Premier League relegation rivals Nottingham Forest.
Saints sit at the foot of the table, six points from safety with four matches remaining.
Southampton are without a win since March 4, when they beat Leicester, but they have shown some promise in recent matches against high-flyers Arsenal and Newcastle to give them hope before the trip to the City Ground.
“For us right now it is about changing the dynamic of results, try to get that victory that we need and I think we deserve,” Selles said.
“We need to find that changing point for us and try to show we are still competitive and can win football matches, and it will be a big plus for us if we can get that on Monday night.”
Saints have mustered just one point in their last six games, which came last month in a 3-3 draw at the Emirates when they conceded two late goals.
Selles believes the responsibility for his team’s form lies with both the staff and players.
“No, I will not put this (blame) only on the players. I think we (coaches and players) need to be better on that,” he said.
“I think we are a unit and we need to stick together, and when we don’t do it it’s not only one player or one group of players, it’s just us as a team, as a club.
“If we’re not good enough in the 95, 100, 107 minutes as we did against Arsenal, I think it is for us to find a better strategy, better mindset, situations for the players. So all of us need to put a little bit more on that.”
Steven Naismith is hopeful that the improvement Josh Ginnelly has enjoyed at Hearts will help persuade the attacker to commit his future to the club.
The former Burnley, Walsall and Preston player – approaching the end of his third campaign with the Jambos – has emerged as a key man this term and is the Edinburgh side’s second-highest scorer with 11 goals to his name.
Ginnelly is out of contract at the end of the season and supporters are eager to see the club tie down the 26-year-old Englishman to a new deal.
“I’m not sure whether he will stay or go,” said interim manager Naismith when asked for an update. “I think the club will want to keep him. He’s had the most consistent season since he’s been at the club.
“The years he has been here, he has progressed from being a new guy in with good attributes, to building his consistency and then becoming a more experienced character in the group. All these factors have been good for him and for the club.
“In his previous moves, he’s signed on thinking one thing and very quickly it’s developed into something else which has not been great for him and he’s not played his best stuff, hence why he came up to Hearts.
“I think this period of his career has probably been the most enjoyable. The club I’m sure are trying to keep him, and Gino’s got a decision to make.”
Naismith was handed the reins until the end of the season following the sacking of Robbie Neilson last month as Hearts search for a new permanent manager.
Asked if he had any input into which of the out-of-contract players the club will attempt to retain, the 36-year-old said: “I make recommendations and stuff like that but at the same time those players could have been speaking to clubs since January.
“It’s been made clear that with the players out of contract, it will be towards the end of the season that things are confirmed one way or the other.”
Naismith has been helping plan a pre-season even though it remains unclear whether he will be part of the new managerial set-up.
“In terms of pre-season, there needs to be a programme there,” he said. “Whether I’m the manager or somebody else is the manager, if we get to the summer and we don’t have that, we’re in big trouble because you’re not going to get a pre-season trip or schedule as you want it.
“As much as we can, we’ve made the decisions, no matter which manager is in place.”
Hearts, who are trying to chase down Aberdeen in the battle for third place in the cinch Premiership, host Celtic this Sunday and Naismith is hoping his team are able to prevent Ange Postecoglou’s rampant side settling into their rhythm early on.
“That’s been consistent with Celtic since the manager came in, that he wants to start really fast and get ahead early in the game, which gives them a lot of control,” said Naismith. “That’s a threat we need to come up against and be brave enough to keep the ball and cause them as many problems as they cause us.
“If we start fast and get the crowd something to back, then they’ll back it and it will be a great atmosphere. Every game at home, that’s what we need to do to get ourselves the backing of the fans which then gives us more confidence on the pitch.
“We did it well against Ross County and hopefully we can do it again on Sunday.”
Unai Emery hinted Aston Villa are closing in on Barcelona’s director of football Mateu Alemany.
The LaLiga leaders have already confirmed he will leave at the end of the season, with Villa his expected destination.
It will be the next piece in the puzzle for Emery at Villa Park as the club looks to move to the next level.
He said: “Mateu Alemany is a person with experiences, he has worked at a high level and, if he’s coming here because it is a possibility, it will be a very good opportunity to create a strong structure with him.
“It’s not the moment to speak about some circumstances that could come here, about some expectation about who is coming here. When I was committed with the chairman Nassef (Sawiris) and with Wes (Edens), we were speaking about the objective in our future we want to create.
“We want to strengthen our structure. To try to get another level going up with the team, with the players, with the structure we can create here.”
Villa go to Wolves on Saturday having dropped to eighth after the midweek results but remain in the hunt for a surprise European place.
Emery recognises failing to qualify for Europe could impact the calibre of players the club could sign this summer but it will not change his ultimate goal.
“Maybe, yes, but it’s not changing the mind I have, the idea we spoke about,” he said.
“We want to create a strong structure here, a strong mentality. You have to build a team like a family. If we are in Europe – we will add some possibility to take away trophies, playing more matches, for me it will be fantastic.
“If it’s not this year, my idea and objective is the same – try to play in Europe with Aston Villa. Not only just to play in Europe but I want to play in the Champions League with Aston Villa. ”
Philippe Coutinho, Matty Cash, Leon Bailey and Boubacar Kamara have all resumed training and could be involved at Molineux.
Emery added: “This week was fantastic. Coutinho started training on Monday, Kamara and Leon on Wednesday and Matty Cash started training with the group yesterday.”
Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper cannot say whether he will work with Dean Henderson again in the future after the goalkeeper’s season was ended by thigh surgery.
Henderson has spent the campaign on loan from Manchester United but picked up an injury in January and has not played since, with him going under the knife this week to finally repair the problem.
The 26-year-old is likely to want to leave Old Trafford in the summer as he chases regular first-team action, but whether that will be at Forest will primarily depend on whether they are in the Premier League or not.
And with Forest’s status up in the air going into the final four games of the season, Cooper was coy when asked whether he would like to work with Henderson again.
“Hard to say. I have enjoyed working with him, we have all enjoyed Dean and the personality he is,” he said.
“All you see mainly is when he is in goal but there is more to him than that. He is a real good professional, he really cares, he has a fantastic mentality of winning and wanting to be the best, we have really enjoyed working with him and are grateful for what he has given to us and what he will continue to give to us.
“He will still be around and quite visible. The medical teams are working together with United and ourselves on what’s right for him and what they want our contribution to be.
“With Dean he is on loan from Manchester United but he really bought into the football club and the city, moving here and making it a permanent base for the loan showed he really wanted to be part of it on and off the pitch.
“We have had great commitment from him, even when he hasn’t been available in the last few months, it is a pity that his season has definitely ended because of surgery, but he has to focus on his recovery.
“We have a good working relationship with United and communication. It is still fresh after the surgery for what his recovery plan will be. We wish him well.”
Forest have been boosted by the news that midfielder Danilo’s injury is not as bad as first feared.
The Brazilian limped out of last weekend’s defeat to Brentford, having earlier scored his second goal in two matches.
Cooper said: “It is not as bad as we feared, when anyone comes off with a muscle injury you fear the worst, especially with the timing of the season and how little time is left but scan results were fairly positive and we hope for him to return sooner or later.”
Kevin De Bruyne could come straight back into the Manchester City side for Saturday’s Premier League match against Leeds.
De Bruyne missed the wins over Fulham and West Ham after taking a knock late in City’s 4-1 win over Arsenal on April 26.
Now, as City look to use Saturday’s fixture to go four points clear of the Gunners at the top of the table, the Belgian could be back after returning to training on Thursday.
“He trained yesterday, trained good. Today we train and we decide after training,” Guardiola said.
“Losing or missing just one week or 10 days in this stage of the season is not a problem. The same happened with Nathan (Ake). If he’s fit, he can play.”
Tuesday’s first leg of the Champions League semi-final away to Real Madrid is already looming, but Guardiola insisted that game would not come into his thinking when deciding how to manage De Bruyne’s return, or his team selection as a whole.
“There’s a lot of games and a lot of tension,” Guardiola said. “I see the team really tired after the demands from West Ham and Fulham. I have to see how the players recover, just three days from the previous game.
“I will be focussed on how they are physically and mentally for this game. After, Madrid. The Premier League is so nice, it’s important to go four points in front of Arsenal, really important. All focus is on the game tomorrow.”
City will come up against Sam Allardyce on Saturday as the 68-year-old takes charge of Leeds for the first time, having been brought in to try and save their Premier League status.
“Always there is an impact of a new manager on the players for the first one or two games,” Guardiola said. “Every team is playing for important things. Of course for Leeds to stay here, the impact is always huge.
“I don’t know how they play, we don’t have any info, we will have to adapt quick after five, 10 minutes. We can imagine what he tries to do. It’s a massive, important game for us…
“When you don’t have information on the opponent, you don’t focus much on them. Focus more on you. You have to think about your team. We analyse the West Ham game to help us with the next game.”
A meeting with Leeds will once again bring into focus Kalvin Phillips’ struggle for playing time at City.
The £42million summer signing has made only eight appearances in the Premier League, all as a substitute, having suffered an early setback in his City career when he needed shoulder surgery in September.
Displacing Rodri has proved all but impossible for the England man, who had to see the funny side when he was ushered off the bench in the 87th minute against West Ham on Wednesday, but had to wait until the start of stoppage time to get on – even with Guardiola urging his players to kick the ball out.
Asked if Phillips still had an important role to play in the rest of the season, Guardiola said: “I’m sure he will be ready, always ready, every player is ready. The doctors, physios make an incredible job to have the players fit. We arrive with all the players ready, it’s really important.
“Everyone has to be ready. I’m sure everyone will be important, a lot of minutes or a few minutes.”
Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil remains hopeful Marcus Tavernier will play again this season but vowed not to take risks with the injured winger.
Tavernier sustained his third hamstring issue of the campaign shortly after scoring the winner in last week’s 1-0 success at local rivals Southampton.
The 24-year-old subsequently sat out Sunday’s 4-1 thrashing of Leeds and has been ruled out of the Vitality Stadium clash with Chelsea.
With Premier League survival almost certainly assured, O’Neil is under no pressure to rush back Tavernier and admits his main focus is on ensuring the player is fit and firing in time for the start of pre-season training.
“We’re still not clear on exactly how long it would be,” the Cherries manager said of the injury.
“Even if we were scrapping for points and desperate to stay in the Premier League, I’m still not sure. We haven’t had enough of the information back to let you know exactly when it would be.
“But, of course, now that the situation has changed, there will be no rush.
“If it’s three weeks that he should be out and we need to take four, we’ll take four. Whereas before it was like ‘right, it’s three weeks, let’s get him back for this game, let’s see if he can have an impact again’. Obviously that has changed.
“My real focus at this moment with Tav is to make sure he is absolutely spot on by July 1 and we can get a real, good pre-season into him.
“But that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the end of him this season. It might be that it’s a couple of weeks and he’s feeling fantastic and we’ll see him back on the pitch.”
Bournemouth sit level on 39 points with Frank Lampard’s Blues ahead of their penultimate home fixture this term.
Striker Kieffer Moore will join Tavernier on the sidelines due to concussion, while midfielder Hamed Traore will sit out a sixth successive game with a contact injury.
While there is seemingly little left to play for, O’Neil is eager for his side to continue the fine form which has brought six wins from nine games.
“There are still a lot of points available to us and, of course, as the head coach of the team, I’m desperate to put as many points on the board as possible regardless of the situation,” he said.
“We really want to finish the season strong and then take that into the summer break with us.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits even extending their five-match winning run is unlikely to affect the top-four sides they are chasing and he expects to miss out on Champions League football next season.
Wednesday’s victory over Fulham, combined with Manchester United’s late defeat to Brighton, meant the gap to fourth place in the Premier League is four points.
However, United have a match in hand, from which they could overtake Newcastle two points ahead, while Liverpool also face pressure from below with Brighton four points behind with two games in hand.
“Other teams are in much better positions. As long as they win games, we have no chance and we have to keep teams behind us, which (for) not all of them we can do that,” said Klopp
“We have 59 (points), United has 63 so we can get 71 maximum. United needs for that eight points in five, (eight points) from 15. I think they will do that.
“They win three games of the rest and that is it for us.”
While their current run is the best for more than a year, the cracks are starting to appear in the squad again.
Midfielder Thiago Alcantara is having surgery on a troublesome hip injury in order to ensure he is fit for pre-season, while captain Jordan Henderson could miss Saturday’s visit of Brentford.
Thiago was absent for two months with his problem and although he made a brief comeback in April, he has missed the last two matches and the club have decided it is best for him to get it sorted now.
“Thiago will have surgery and is out for the rest of the season. It’s the same issue he was recently out for a couple of months with,” said Klopp.
Asked whether he would be ready for pre-season, the manager added: “Yeah. That is why we do it now.”
Liverpool are awaiting the results of a scan on Henderson but he could miss the visit of Brentford with the minor problem.
“Hendo I have to see; a scan yesterday will not be a big thing but maybe enough to rule him out tomorrow.”
Liverpool have confirmed they will play the national anthem ahead of Saturday’s evening kick-off despite expected opposition from home fans.
Supporters have regularly booed the anthem, such as before cup finals, in defiance at their long-standing resentment against the establishment due to the city’s political background and, more recently, in relation to the handling of the Hillsborough disaster and the fight for justice.
Liverpool feel they have been put in an impossible position by the Premier League’s suggestion the anthem is played and although have they taken the “tough” decision to play the anthem, they believe in safe freedom of expression and are aware the response may not be favourable.
During Wednesday’s win over Fulham the Kop sang “You can stick your coronation up your a***”.
“The club’s position is my position. That is clear. Besides that, this is definitely a subject which I cannot really have a proper opinion about,” said Klopp.
“I am from Germany, we don’t have a king or a queen, I am 55 years old and I have no experience of that.
“Watching from the outside, it is a nice thing to watch when all the weddings are massive things in Germany but no one really knows what it is like. It is like watching a movie. We don’t feel that.
“I am pretty sure a lot of people in this country will enjoy the coronation. Some will not be interested and some will not like it. That is it and that is over the whole country.”
Celtic full-back Alistair Johnston might play again this season while Cameron Carter-Vickers is expected to be back for the start of next term.
Canada international Johnston joined the post-match celebrations at Hampden on crutches after suffering a lower-leg injury following a challenge on Rangers defender Borna Barisic in Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final.
Carter-Vickers was the best player on the park despite playing through a knee injury which has ended his campaign but Celtic have received positive news following his operation.
Johnston will sit out Sunday’s game against Hearts at Tynecastle as Celtic bid to get a win which will secure a second cinch Premiership title under Ange Postecoglou.
But the 24-year-old could be fit ahead of the Scottish Cup final against Inverness on June 3.
“He got a significant knock,” Postecoglou said. “We will see. There is still a chance he will be available before the end of the season but it will be a week-by-week thing and we will see how he goes.
“Cameron (Carter-Vickers) will be out until the start of next season and James Forrest is probably a week away.
“The only other new one is Stephen Welsh who picked up a knock in training. Everyone else is good to go.”
Centre-back Carter-Vickers looks set to be fit to join his team-mates for pre-season training.
“He has already had the surgery and the reports are that it went really well and he should be right for the start of the season, to begin the season, which is great news for us,” Postecoglou said.
“It’s something he has carried for a significant part of this year but he was really keen to play, particularly up until last weekend knowing what the game meant for our season.
“But it’s fair to say he hasn’t been able to train at the levels he wants to and can sometimes perform, but he has never used that as an excuse.
“He was outstanding for us this year and it’s great for him to get it seen to now and know that at the start of the season he will be ready to go.”
Japanese central defender Yuki Kobayashi is set for a run in the team after making four appearances since his arrival in January.
“He is ready to go,” Postecoglou said. “He has done well for us every time we have called upon him.
“We brought him in in January to use this second half of the season to bed him in in terms of our football and how we train, to let him adjust. Yuki is ready to step up and play a significant role.”
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