Celtic will need all of their best players firing on all cylinders to continue their march towards ten in a row this season, and a recent update from Neil Lennon suggests one of his most talented stars is close to returning to the squad.

What's the word?

Mohamed Elyounoussi enjoyed a scintillating opening to his career at Paradise before an injury setback stunted his progress.

He has since been ruled out of nine SPFL fixtures but recent quotes from Lennon suggest he is edging towards a first team return.

Speaking from Celtic's training camp in Dubai, Lennon had this to say on the Southampton loanee, per The Herald: “Elyounoussi is out of the boot now and may train at the start of this week."

The Celtic boss also went on to deliver some promising news on Tom Rogic. “Rogic is doing gym work, core work. He could train next week."

Major boost for Lennon

The return of Elyounoussi, who is valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, is undoubtedly a major boost for the Hoops.

Prior to his injury setback in November 2019, the attacking midfielder scored seven goals and provided six assists in just 13 appearances in all competitions.

The pulsating presence in Celtic's attack added a level of genuine quality that Southampton thought they'd be getting when he signed for the club in 2018.

That he is due to return to training in the imminent future suggests he could well be in contention for Celtic's next competitive fixture against Kilmarnock on January 22nd, and his creative quality could be exactly what they need to return to winning ways in emphatic style.

If the Norway international can stay fit for the remainder of the season following his return, he could well play a decisive role in the SPFL title race.

In other news, one Celtic player has made a huge prediction about Odsonne Edouard...