Iheanacho suffers a recurrence of his hamstring injury during Scottish League Cup final

NIGERIAN striker Kelechi Iheanacho is set for another spell on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury during Celtic's Scottish League Cup final against St Mirren at Hampden Park yesterday.

In a game that Celtic lost 1-3, Iheanacho suffered a relapse of the hamstring injury that had kept him out for over a month. Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy had made two changes to his side following the midweek defeat to Roma, one of which handed Iheanacho his first start since October 23.

However, the decision backfired as with ten minutes remaining in the first half, Iheanacho was forced off after pulling up with what appeared to be a hamstring problem. He acknowledged the Celtic fans with applause as he left the pitch, heading down the tunnel clearly disappointed.

Jonah Ayunga stole the show for the underdogs, scoring a brace in a brilliant second-half performance, following Reo Hatate's equaliser, which had cancelled out Marcus Fraser's early header. Before his substitution, Iheanacho had been arguably the standout performer, coming close to an equaliser only for St Mirren goalkeeper Shamal George to deny him with a diving save.

Iheanacho had initially been named in Nigeria's provisional squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations but was omitted from the final 28-man roster amid concerns over his fitness. Later this month, the continental tournament will kick off holding between Sunday December 21 2025 and Sunday January 18 2026.