You can only sympathise with David Turnbull after his on-off move from Motherwell to Celtic collapsed this week after a problem with his knee was detected in a medical.

But you can also hope that the boy is young enough to come back from this and play at a high level in the future – possibly even with Celtic.

The fact that he has been told he will have to undergo an operation and will be out until after Christmas would indicate that it is cruciate problem.

It is ironic that the issue wasn’t evident when he was playing last season and only showed up when he was on the verge of completing his £3.25 million transfer.

However, the treatment that players receive nowadays is so good that players can get back playing in no time at all.

If he shows a bit of resolve, which I’m sure he will do, and gets the right help then he can get his career back on track in no time next season.

He must be emotional at this point in time. He should have been over in Austria training with Celtic. Instead he is stuck in a hospital bed. But he has to just focus on his rehabilitation now.

It is a blow for Celtic because he would, with his age and his huge potential, have been a great acquisition for them. I am sure that Motherwell, too, had plans for the money they were going to receive.

But my thoughts are with David at this time. I wish him well in his recovery. Hopefully, we will see him back to his best soon.

Now I think Celtic need to bring in another right back – depending on what happens with Kieran Tierney – a left back and another striker.