CELTIC DEFENDER JEREMIE Frimpong says he doesn’t know what was going through the mind of Kilmarnock midfielder Alan Power as the Dubliner unleashed a challenge which has seen him miss the last three weeks with injury.
The 19-year-old Dutchman was stretchered off during Celtic’s victory at Rugby Park last month and hasn’t played since, but could make his return in the Hoops’ Europa League clash with FC Copenhagen on Thursday.
Dubliner Power, 33, won the ball and wasn’t booked by referee Don Robertson, although many — including Celtic captain Scott Brown — contended that his challenge was worthy of a sending off.
“This is the first injury I’ve had and at first I thought it was going be bad,” said Frimpong. “I’ve looked back at it and his legs were up.
“If my foot had been planted on the floor, it would have been a really bad injury — it could have been a break.
As he came in to challenge, my leg was lifted up a little bit — that’s why it wasn’t as bad as it might have been. It was over the top but what can you do? I don’t know why he did it. I don’t know what was going through his head.
“He did win the ball but it was a hard, hard tackle. There were two minutes to go and we were winning. I thought it should have been a card at least but the referee didn’t do anything.
“I wouldn’t say it was a big injury. I’ve been out for three weeks so it wasn’t a long time. But I got a fright.
I knew Scottish football would be tough and you’ve got to be ready for it. I just didn’t expect it to come like that.
“If you’re on the pitch, you can’t be soft. You have to go in hard but in the right way.
“Maybe you have to change your style of play. Next time, in that situation, I’ll just dodge it. It’s all about learning and I’m doing that every day.”
Frimpong signed with Celtic in September after spending a decade at Manchester City, whom he joined at the age of nine. He has scored two goals in 14 appearances across all competitions for Neil Lennon’s men.
