CELTIC defender Mikael Lustig does not expect to play for the club again until the start of next season.
The Swedish international has been plagued with injuries since arriving at the Hoops in January 2012 and he has been restricted to just 36 starts.
Lustig missed a large part of the current campaign because of a hip problem, and he appeared to have put his troubles behind him when he scored twice against Motherwell on his return to action in January following an eight-week absence.
But Lustig has not played since February 7 when he limped off after suffering ankle ligament damage during the 2-0 Scottish Cup victory over Dundee at Dens Park.
And the 28-year-old has revealed he is making slow progress in his recovery and is now setting his sights on next term.
He admitted: “! have to put this season to one side. I have been out for six weeks now and the foot is still swollen. I have a stretched ligament on the inside of my foot and bruised the bone on the outside.
“It may take three months before I’m good again. But I have to look on the positive side because I don’t require an operation.
“We will see how long it takes, but it looks like the season is over.”
