Celtic: Marvin Compper injury justifies my concerns, says Kris Commons

Marvin Compper has yet to make his Celtic debut

Marvin Compper's injury so soon after joining Celtic justifies fears about his ability to cope with the intensity of play demanded by Brendan Rodgers.

So says former Celtic midfielder Kris Commons, who said last month he found the signing from RB Leipzig "baffling".

The defender has been ruled out for a month with a training-ground injury.

"You have to push your body through the barriers," Commons said of Rodgers' training sessions. "At nearly 33, it is a big ask to get to those levels."

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Commons thinks Celtic's training methods have risks as well as benefits.

"The intensity that Brendan demands of your training session, not just for two minutes, it's literally 60-70 minutes every single morning," he told BBC Scotland.

"If you can't replicate that every single day or on the days when he's wanting it, it's simple - you won't play.

"So you have to push your body through the barriers where he needs. That's just not sprinting - it's distance covered.

Brendan Rodgers' training sessions are intense, according to Kris Commons

"At the start of the season, everybody was saying this was the fittest Celtic team we've ever seen, Scott Brown looks a different player, he's developed Callum McGregor, Stuart Armstrong, James Forest looks like he's worth £10-12m nowadays.

"But you only have to look at Leigh Griffiths, who's a very fit boy. He's picked up numerous calf injuries.

"You look at Scott Sinclair. He's picked up a hamstring injury. You look at Moussa Dembele. I think he's pulled his hamstring three times."

Commons was concerned that Compper, signed for £1m on a two-and-a-half year contract but cup-tied for the Europa League, would not be able to cope.

"I just thought it was a higher risk bringing in a 32-year-old defender who is not going to play in Europe this season and who has been injury prone," he added.

"When you sign players in the 32-33 year old bracket, there has to be a little worry about injuries or recurring injuries and, looking at his playing stats since 2012, he has barley racked up 100 appearances in nearly six years.

"Celtic are playing 60-70 games every single season. Compper is averaging about 20."