After nine gruelling months on the sidelines, Cameron Carter-Vickers is finally back playing football and eager to make up for lost time.
The 28-year-old defender tore his Achilles in October, ruling him out for the vast majority of last season and costing him a place at the World Cup with the United States.
Carter-Vickers made his long-awaited comeback in Celtic’s pre-season friendly against Shelbourne in Dublin, coming through a first-half run-out without incident.
“It was good, obviously. We had a little friendly at the training ground on Friday, so that was the first game,” he said, reflecting on his return to competitive action.
“I’ve been training for a little while. I trained back into the last season and then the first couple of weeks of pre-season, so I was pretty confident I would be fine injury-wise.”
The defender admitted the experience was the toughest of his career, particularly watching from the sidelines as Celtic endured one of their most turbulent seasons in recent memory.
“It’s definitely the longest I’ve been injured. It was difficult. You want to be out there helping the team, especially with the season we had last year,” he said.
Celtic lurched through a chaotic campaign that included Brendan Rodgers’ departure and the troubled tenure of Wilfried Nancy before Martin O’Neill answered an SOS call to steady the ship.
O’Neill’s intervention proved extraordinary, as Celtic staged a remarkable comeback to snatch the league title on the final day, with Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand’s late goals proving decisive at Parkhead.
Carter-Vickers, who collected a fifth league winners’ medal, described it as a wild and unforgettable season despite his frustrating absence from the pitch.
“It was crazy. If you know you’re going to win it like that, that’s probably the most exciting way to do it. I would have liked it to have been a bit more comfortable, but yes, crazy season,” he said.
The American was also full of praise for O’Neill and captain Callum McGregor, crediting both with holding the squad together through a deeply difficult period.
“When I look back at last season, I do think Callum McGregor, the captain, was very important in that as well. Just the way he leads us day in, day out,” Carter-Vickers said.
He also reserved strong words for O’Neill, adding: “I just think he’s a really good manager, gets the best out of players and just leads the team in that way, really. Can Martin get even more out of me? Yes, I think so.”
Carter-Vickers also processed the painful reality that his Achilles injury cost him a coveted World Cup appearance, with club teammate Auston Trusty filling the void in the USA squad.
“I got injured back in October and I kind of knew at that point it was going to be very hard to get back fit before the end of the season, so I kind of processed that a long time ago,” he said.
Despite missing out on the tournament, the 19-times capped international followed proceedings closely, setting his alarm through the night to watch his country’s matches before their 4-1 exit to Belgium.
Looking ahead to the new season, Carter-Vickers sounded a clear warning that Celtic must invest heavily to compete on all fronts this summer.
Colombian striker Camilo Duran is set to become the club’s first signing of the window, joining in a £6 million deal from Qarabag, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has also committed his future to the club.
Talks are ongoing over a new deal for Kelechi Iheanacho, and O’Neill is pursuing the return of Marcelo Saracchi, though Boca Juniors have rejected another loan approach.
Carter-Vickers was direct about what the squad needs, saying: “I think it’s definitely important that we strengthen the squad. If you’re telling me there’s a striker coming in, then that’s good news. Like Martin said, hopefully a few more.”
About the Author
