Kilmarnock Manager Derek McInnes Compares Stuart Findlay’s Injury Impact to Cameron Carter-Vickers’ Absence for Celtic

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes has emphasized the significant impact of Stuart Findlay’s injury, describing it as “big a blow.” McInnes likened Findlay’s influence to “the equivalent of Cameron Carter-Vickers being out of the Celtic team,” stating, “He’s almost been perfect for us, he’s the equivalent of Cameron Carter-Vickers being out of the Celtic team, that’s how big of an influence he is.” McInnes confirmed that the defender could face up to six months on the sidelines, pending scan results, following an injury sustained during the team’s defeat to Dundee on Sunday. Despite the setback, he affirmed that his squad will “just need to deal with it.” Ahead of Killie’s upcoming weekend match against Celtic, McInnes remarked, “It’s a blow for us, he’s a big player, a defender who plays every week for me.” He further added, “It’s a real blow for us, but we need to deal with losing important players at some stage in the season.” McInnes indicated that the “worse case scenario” for Findlay’s recovery could see him sidelined for up to six months. However, a more favourable outcome from the scans might reduce this period to approximately a third of that time. He elaborated, “It could be the difference of maybe seven or eight weeks depending on the scan, so it could be from two to three months to four to six months, potentially for the worst case scenario.” Emphasizing a pragmatic approach, McInnes stated, “Managers will have to deal with coping without key players and there’s no point in crying about it, we just need to deal with it.” Reaffirming Findlay’s significance, McInnes reiterated, “He’s almost been perfect for us. He’s the equivalent of Cameron Carter-Vickers being out of the Celtic team, that’s how big of an influence he is.” He concluded by noting that with “Losing key players in key positions, it’s up for others now to go and step in and take on that responsibility that he’s shown for us since he came to the club.”