CENTRE BACK IN ACTION

Jozo Simunovic on bouncing back from injury, picking up his early season form, and pushing for success in the second half of the campaign

- JOE DONNELLY

PHENOMENAL is how Neil Lennon described Jozo Simunovic’s form prior to the knee injury which ruled him out of the first half of this campaign.

Sustained during the Hoops’ 2-0 UEFA Europa League qualifier home win over AIK Stockholm in August, the towering Croatian had played all but 16 minutes in the first seven competitive games of the season – subbed for Christopher Jullien in the latter stages of their 1-1 Champions League qualifier draw with CFR Cluj in Romania earlier that month.

The knock unfortunately required surgery, but, after several months of recovery and rehab, the 25-year-old returned to action in Celtic’s 2-1 win over Partick Thistle in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup, and played a further full 90 minutes in each of the wins over Kilmarnock and Ross County over the past week.

Now fit and raring to go, Simunovic wants nothing more but to recapture the form that so impressed his boss both last season and at the beginning of the 2019/20 trail.

“Oh, man, it was great to get back out on to the pitch,” said Simunovic in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View. “It definitely was. It’s been a long time, a few months, but in the end, all is good. I’m back and I’m looking forward to the next games and I’m really happy to be back now.

“When I was out injured, I was able to get back to Croatia to do some of my rehab, before returning to Glasgow to finish my recovery and then meet up with the team in Dubai at the club’s mid-season warm-weather training camp over there.”

Simunovic stressed the virtues of returning home to endure part of his rehab from a mental perspective, suggesting that having family and close friends nearby around the clock helped him recharge, refocus and avoid potential isolation and negative feelings.