Johansen blames form dip on back injury

Celtic midfielder Stefan Johansen has claimed his recent dip in form is due to an ongoing back injury.

The Norweigan is fighting to be fit for his country’s Euro qualifier against Malta this weekend.

His start has been somewhat shaky under Deila this season, but he’s openly revealed that an injury to his back is where the poor showings have stemmed from.

He said:

My back has been causing me problems for a few months now and that has led to other injuries in parts of my body. It has also affected my hamstring and the front of my thigh.

We thought we had got to the bottom of what was causing the injuries, but then I got another knock against Fenerbahce and that set me back again.

Johansen went on to explain how the injury is now and where he is in terms of trying to shake it off.

It’s been better in the last few days. When I get rid of the back pain, then I think all the other problems should stop too. I have had a good chat with Ronny Deila about my issues.

Celtic travel to Motherwell on October 17th. Johansen will be hoping he’s fit for that game, more so if he misses Norway’s game on Saturday.