Celtic have been handed a major boost ahead of their Europa League clash with Rennes as top striker M'Baye Niang could miss the Group E opener.

Former AC Milan hit man Niang missed their Ligue 1 match with Brest at the weekend through injury.

And it is believed he may not recover in time for the visit of Neil Lennon's men to Roazhon Park.

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A knee issue forced him to watch his side's 0-0 draw from the stands.

The Senegalese forward - who also counts Watford and Torino among his former clubs - has started the season in decent form.

He scored as Rennes managed a 2-1 victory over PSG and again in a 2-0 away win over Strasbourg.

While Niang is a major doubt for Thursday, Celtic themselves won't have their full strength side available.

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Jozo Simunovic is to undergo surgery on his knee that could keep him out for weeks while Mikey Johnston and Nir Bitton are both also likely to miss the clash.

Marian Shved and Luca Connell are also out - albeit were unlikely to feature from the start.