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In-form Celtic attacker Ryan Christie left the pitch on a stretcher during his side's 2-1 Europa League defeat against Red Bull Salzburg at Celtic Park on Thursday night, and the immediate fears were that he may have broken either his leg or his ankle.

What's the word, then?

Well, the worst would have certainly been feared when you saw how much agony the 23-year-old was in after losing out in a 50-50 challenge with Takumi Minamino, but The Scottish Sun reported on Friday that he hasn’t broken anything, although further scans will be needed to determine the extent of the damage.

The way he reacted suggests that it could still be something quite serious, with The Scottish Sun speculating about either ligament damage or an Achilles issue, and whatever happens he will still surely be out of action for the foreseeable future.

Christie has been in sparkling form for the Scottish Premiership leaders, scoring seven goals and providing a further four assists since the end of October.

How will Rodgers deal with the issue?

Given his goalscoring form and the recent loss of Leigh Griffiths because of personal issues, the Northern Irishman and the club in general are becoming even more reliant on Odsonne Edouard stepping up to the plate before the January transfer window opens, when they are surely going to do some business.

The Bhoys do have players behind the Frenchman like Scott Sinclair, Tom Rogic, James Forrest and Callum McGregor that can all make an impact, but if Christie is out for the next few weeks then they could also turn to the rarely-seen Jonny Hayes.

The 31-year-old was on the bench against Salzburg but has only made four appearances in total this season, but he could be about to get the chance to change Rodgers' obvious negative viewpoint on him.