Celtic defender John Kennedy could be back in action in three months' time after an MRI scan indicated his latest injury blow is not as serious as was feared.
The 24-year-old centre-back had to be replaced just before half-time in the Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk at Celtic Park, leaving the pitch on a stretcher after an awkward fall.
There was immediate concern that Kennedy might have suffered a recurrence of the serious injury to his left knee, which kept him out of the game for three years until his return at the end of last season.
He was swiftly taken to hospital, while last night's game continued, however Celtic have been encouraged by initial scan results and are hoping they are backed up by further tests tomorrow.
However there remains a possibility that Kennedy will face longer on the sidelines, and the club were careful not to second guess results of further tests.
In a statement on www.celticfc.net, the club reported: 'John Kennedy today underwent an MRI scan on his left knee.
'Initial results show that John has sustained damage to his lateral meniscus and the posterior lateral complex of the knee, which could mean the injury isn't as severe as first thought.
'An arthroscopic investigation will be carried out on John's knee tomorrow morning and will confirm the extent of the damage. If the initial diagnosis is confirmed, John could possibly return to action within 12 weeks.'
Steven Pressley now looks certain to play an important role for Celtic in the coming months after recovering from back surgery. The 34-year-old Scotland international defender was Kennedy's replacement against Shakhtar and could return to the starting line-up for Saturday's league match against his former club Hearts at Tynecastle.
Meanwhile former Celtic and Scotland full-back Tosh McKinlay insists Gordon Strachan's trophy haul at Parkhead should be enough to win over any remaining doubters of the manager.
After the 2-1 victory over Shakhtar, a point at the San Siro against AC Milan next week would carry the Hoops into the Champions League last 16 for the second season in succession.
That was a feat Martin O'Neill never managed to achieve, but despite his outstanding record Strachan has found it a struggle to endear himself to some of the club's support.
With back-to-back SPL titles, a Scottish Cup and a League Cup under his belt, McKinlay sees no reason why Strachan should not be fully acclaimed by the fans.
He told PA Sport: 'He is there to do a job and he has done it very well. Coming in on the back of Martin O'Neill he has had to slash the wage bill and buy players mainly on Bosmans.
'So I think he has done fantastically well to win two titles and two cups. He has not had a great deal of money to spend but to reach the last 16 of the Champions League was great for him.
'And as we witnessed last night they are now a match for anyone at Parkhead.'
McKinlay, speaking after he pulled Stirling Albion out of the pot to face holders Celtic in the Scottish Cup fourth-round draw, admits he cannot see past his old club for winners of the tournament.
He added: 'Celtic enter competitions to win them and there's every chance that they will go all the way and retain the trophy, as you have got to look at the manager's record here.
'He has two cup successes under his belt and he will be looking to make this a third.'
McKinlay was quick to point out the pitfalls of facing lower-league opposition and he said: "You must start the game properly.
'If you are slack then there's always an opportunity and the other team could take a bit of heart from that and may even go on to fancy their chances of an upset.'
