JEREMIE FRIMPONG is on the brink of his first winner’s medal – before he has even gone into double figures in first-team appearances.
The 18-year-old Amsterdam-born right-back could get the nod from boss Neil Lennon to face Steven Gerrard’s Ibrox side in the Betfred League Cup Final on Sunday, December 8 after the news Hatem Abd Elhamed is likely to be ruled out for the rest of the year.
The Israeli international defender limped off with a groin problem in the Hoops’ historic 2-1 Europa League Group E victory over Lazio in Rome last week – the club’s first-ever win on Italian soil in 13 attempts.
It was first expected the £1.6million summer recruit from Hapoel Be’er Sheva would miss around three to four weeks, but his agent Dudu Dahan revealed he will be on the sidelines for a longer period, possibly six weeks which will virtually take him up to the turn of the year.
OUT…unfortunate Hatem Abd Elhamed will miss the Betfred League Cup Final.
That will open the door for Frimpong who has been impressive in his five games for the club since arriving from Manchester City on transfer deadline day in a deal that will rise to £1million.
The adventurous kid, already a favourite with the champions’ followers, made his debut in the 5-0 triumph over Championship Partick Thistle in the Betfred quarter-final in September.
The Dutch Under-20 ace also played in the 6-0 rout of Ross County and scored his first goal for the team in the 4-0 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
He kept his place for the 5-2 success over Hibs in the semi-final and was in place again in the 2-0 victory over Motherwell at the weekend.
It looks it will be a straight choice between Frimpong and on-loan Austrian international Mortiz Bauer for the No.2 position against the Govan outfit at Hampden.
Before that meeting, though, the Hoops have Premiership confrontations with Livingston, Ross County and Hamilton Accies before Lennon can turn his attention to attempting to lift the club’s TENTH successive piece of domestic silverware.
Bauer will almost certainly play in the Europa League game against Rennes at Parkhead on November 28 with Frimpong missing out as he wasn’t included in the manager’s original European squad.
