Why Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Hasn’t Travelled With Celtic Squad

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s absence from Celtic’s squad for tonight’s pre-season opener against Shelbourne has nothing to do with injury or a change of plans. Instead, it is part of a carefully managed fitness programme designed to ensure he is ready for the season ahead.

The experienced midfielder has remained in Portugal, where he has been following an individual training schedule rather than returning to join the squad in Dublin. The decision was made to avoid unnecessary travel and allow him to continue building his fitness before linking up with his teammates later this week at Celtic’s warm-weather training camp.

Oxlade-Chamberlain only recently signed a new one-year contract after impressing during the latter stages of last season. However, after several injury-hit years earlier in his career, Celtic are taking a cautious approach to his pre-season workload.

Rather than interrupting his programme with flights to Ireland and back to Portugal within a matter of days, the club have opted to keep him at the training base where he can continue working under controlled conditions before rejoining the rest of the squad.

There is no suggestion of a setback or concern over his fitness. In fact, the plan underlines Celtic’s desire to have the 32-year-old available and in the best possible condition for the competitive fixtures that lie ahead.

With the Premiership season now less than four weeks away and European qualifiers fast approaching, every training session matters. Celtic clearly believe this tailored approach gives Oxlade-Chamberlain the best chance of hitting the ground running when the real action begins.