Center back Cameron Carter-Vickers will miss the rest of Celtic’s season due to a long-term Achilles injury, diminishing his chances of making the U.S. Men’s National Team’s roster for next summer’s World Cup held on home soil.

Carter-Vickers suffered the injury during Celtic’s 2-1 victory against Sturm Graz in the UEFA Europa League last month, with initial estimates suggesting he would return by March. However, Celtic’s interim manager Martin O’Neill confirmed on Friday that the 27-year-old would not be returning this season.

“We will not see him,” O’Neill said prior to Saturday’s match against St. Mirren. “It might be April before he’s even on grass. I asked him yesterday if he thought he would be ready for the World Cup, and he said that would be very doubtful.”
Translation: “It might be April before he’s even on grass. I asked him yesterday if he thought he would be ready for the World Cup, and he said that would be very doubtful.”

With less than six months until the USMNT’s opening World Cup match, Carter-Vickers becomes the first player in the national team’s pool potentially sidelined due to injury. While not a consistent selection under coach Mauricio Pochettino, there was an opportunity for him to assert himself, especially given the recent tactical shift to a back three, which allowed for a five-game unbeaten run to close the year.

Recent call-ups saw Carter-Vickers join the national team for friendlies against Ecuador and Australia last month, although he did not play in those matches. His only minutes under Pochettino came during a 2-1 defeat to Canada in the Concacaf Nations League, where he played the full match.

Carter-Vickers contributed to the USMNT’s 2022 World Cup campaign, featuring for 90 minutes in the group stage finale against Iran, which resulted in a 1-0 win.