CARLTON COLE has admitted he is not even close to being fit despite being handed his Celtic debut at Inverness – which is another slap in the face to Nadir Ciftci and Anthony Stokes.
The club’s new signing did not look sharp during his second-half substitute appearance in the 3-1 victory in the Highlands on Sunday.
Indeed, Celtic assistant manager John Collins claimed last week that Cole was not close to being ready and would need some reserve games before being considered for the first-team.
The Parkhead career of Stokes is likely to be over following his remarks on Twitter after he was left out of the match day squad and Ciftci is right now struggling to get off the bench.
However, both are fit and yet Cole, 32, who has not played for eight months, was put on at 2-1 ahead of the Turk and, obviously, the ostracised Irishman.
The former Chelsea and West Ham United player did have a fortuitous hand in Celtic’s third goal, but the striker conceded that he is well short of match-sharpness and it would take time before he was 100 per cent.
Cole, speaking in the Celtic View, said: “When I went out there, I didn’t feel on-point, but I felt if I made a nuisance of myself I could help the team and solidify the victory.
“The boys played brilliantly, but at the same time I didn’t feel sharp as it was my first game since May 24.
“You haven’t seen the real Carlton Cole yet as I haven’t played for such a long time. I was just happy to be out on the field and trying to cause some problems and provide a bit of presence up-front.
“I still have to work hard on my fitness and get up to scratch. I need to get on the field more often and ensure I perform better than I did on Sunday, get the ball into feet, win some headers and get in goalscoring positions to score.
“I know what I need to work on – my headers, my power and being more aggressive. But this will come once I get fitter and hopefully now that I know where I’m at, I can work on these aspects in training, play more games behind closed doors and get my fitness up to scratch.
“I have to work even harder now as I know where I am physically. I’m not up to where I want it to be, but it was a good debut victory and I am just going to take the plusses out if it.”
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