Nakamura causes Celtic concern

Celtic FC fear their Japanese playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura will be unavailable as they look to advance to the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League from Group D.

Knee brace
The 29-year-old is struggling to shake off a knee injury sustained in a qualifying game against FC Spartak Moskva in August and continues to wear a brace on his left knee. A scan on Monday has given rise to fears Nakamura might have suffered nerve damage in addition to a ligament strain and the player has been prescribed a period of rest before he can return to first-team action, making him doubtful for next Tuesday's game at home to FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

'Told to rest'
"I have been told by the doctors to rest as much as possible as that will help me to recover completely from this injury," said Nakamura, who last played on 27 October. Celtic also have doubts over the fitness of striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink with the Dutch international reported to have picked up another hamstring injury.