By Frank McAvennie

16th Sep, 2023 | 7:24am

Celtic primed for 'big boost' from Hatate - McAvennie

Reo Hatate has to play against Dundee if he has any chance of being fit for the Celtic trip to Feyenoord.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former Hoops striker Frank McAvennie is excited for the game against the Dutch opponents.

Celtic take on Feyenoord in the first game of their 2023-24 Champions League campaign on Tuesday and will travel to the Netherlands for the game.

Brendan Rodgers’ side are enduring a difficult spell with injuries but are slowly returning to full strength as players trickle back in to training.

Speaking to CelticTV (12 September), the Celts boss confirmed that Hatate and Phillips are close to full fitness whilst new signing Marco Tilio and Cameron Carter-Vickers are set for a longer lay off.

Hatate returned to training this week after picking up a knock against Aberdeen whilst Phillips missed the match against Rangers following his arrival earlier this month.

When asked how he felt ahead of the opening European clash, McAvennie told Football Insider: “If Hatate is even nearly fit he has to play him at the weekend to get him a game so he can play against Feyenoord.

“They are a good team, all Dutch teams are pretty decent and they have got a philosophy that they stick to.

“They love playing the game the right way, they have got a history with Celtic. It is going to be interesting. If Celtic get a decent performance on Saturday that will give them a big boost.”

In other news, major Rangers manager update after Graham Potter move.