John Kennedy will discover today the real extent of the injury to his left knee but even if the news is good, the Celtic defender will still be out of action for three months. Kennedy suffered ligament damage against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday, prompting fears that he has been struck by the same problem that put him out of football for three years.

Celtic said yesterday that they believe that the 23-year-old centre-back’s injury is “not as severe as first thought” when Kennedy was carried off on a stretcher in the Champions League match and rushed straight to hospital. An initial scan has given Kennedy some hope but he will have another assessment today.

However, at the very least Celtic expect Kennedy to be out for a minimum of 12 weeks, which means that even if the team qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League, he would not be able to play in the two-leg tie on February 19 and March 4.

That will be a huge blow to the popular Kennedy, who only returned to first-team action last April after three years out after his knee was wrecked by a tackle from Ioan Ganea while playing for Scotland in a friendly match against Romania in March 2004. Kennedy required three operations in the United States from Dr Richard Steadman, and then underwent a long rehabilitation before coming back to the game.

Stephen McManus, the Celtic captain and central defensive partner, visited Kennedy in hospital on Wednesday night. The pair have been friends for a number of years, coming through the youth ranks together, and McManus believes that Kennedy has already suffered more than any player should expect. “I’m really hoping John is going to be all right,” McManus said. “He’s been through an awful lot in the past few years. I hope his news is positive. Unless you have worked with John, you do not realise how tough it has been for him and what he has been through.

“It’s important he has got his family around him and his close friends. Steven Pressley came on in John’s place and did really well and the thing about this club is that there are always good players waiting to come in if someone gets injured. That is one of the benefits of playing at this club.”

Artur Boruc may also require surgery. The Poland goalkeeper revealed yesterday that he will have to abandon his plans to wait until the summer and have surgery at some stage during this season. After struggling through against Shakhtar, he said he is in too much pain to play on.

Boruc knows there are even more crucial matches coming up, including the final Champions League group game in Milan on Tuesday where a point would be enough to take Celtic through to the knockout stage. There is also the Old Firm game on January 2, which could be pivotal in the Premier League title race.

He was forced to pull out of last weekend’s game against Aberdeen when a combination of a toe problem and his knee injury prevented him kicking the ball. “Everything is sore,” Boruc said. “I need surgery on my knee. I have to have an arthroscopy on it. I was going to wait until the end of the season, but now I don’t think I am going to wait that long. It’s not really good just now. But, hopefully, I will be fit for Saturday’s game against Hearts and for the match in Milan.”