Ange Postecoglou says Christopher Jullien nearing return

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is hopeful Christopher Jullien will be ready to return soon after the winter break following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Celtic are looking to tie up a number of early January signings but their squad is also set to be strengthened by the return to fitness of a number of players.

One of them, Jullien, has never been available for Postecoglou and his return to fitness has stalled at certain points.

The French centre-back has not played since suffering a serious knee injury when he collided with a post while making a goal-line clearance in a 3-0 win over Dundee United exactly a year ago.

Postecoglou said: “He’s had a couple of little setbacks but we are hoping now that he’s at a point where he’s ready to train fully with the team and make himself available.  He’ll be a great addition.

“He’s good player, he’s very commanding, he’s very confident in himself. So we will get him involved and I’m sure he can add to us.”

The likes of Giorgos Giakoumakis, Jota and James Forrest are also expected to be “there or thereabouts” when Celtic resume their season against Hibernian on January 17.

Celtic also look likely to have reinforcements secured by then with reports in Japan declaring they have made further progress in their pursuit of several targets.

Several Japanese outlets have reported that a deal has been agreed for striker Daizen Maeda to rejoin his former Yokohama Marinos manager Postecoglou on loan with a view to a permanent deal.

Celtic have also been strongly linked with J-League players Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi ahead of the transfer window.