Whether or not he will be thrust straight back into action is another story however. With his usual strike partner JVH facing a suspension after his stupid red card against TFOD one wonders whether the manager will consider the fact that the partnership of Samaras and Maloney looks to be more fruitful than pairing the Big Greek striker with Skippy.
"Things are going well," McDonald said. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go with the Australia squad this week but that has allowed for a better recovery time for me. I've been doing a bit of running and, hopefully, I can start training with the boys when they return from the international break."
He said: "It's a massive few days for us. We have a tough game at Motherwell on Saturday and then we face Aalborg on Wednesday. I'll be doing my best to prove my fitness ahead of the Motherwell game and, hopefully, I'll be involved at some point. If I make the Motherwell match, I'll be doing everything I can to play my way into the manager's plans for Aalborg. The first Champions League game is always crucial and the fact we're at home makes it even bigger."
So the question at the moment is should McDonald go straight back into the team for the trip to Fir Park and if he does get re-instated who will he play alongside? Assuming that the manager will play a 4-4-2 who would you partner him with?
Personally I would stick with Maloney and Samaras in the first instance. Apart from the fact that the two of them seem to link up more fluidly they offer us something different - the pace and ability to get in behind teams and cause them problems. That fact allied with both players ability to play killer passes should see them elected for first choice for the foreseeable future.
I also feel that McDonald has been far from productive this season, and given that the player does tend to sulk a bit if things aren't going his way and has a tendency to give up when he loses possession I think a spell on the sidelines may show him what he requires to do to be first choice at a club like Celtic.
Whether or not this drop in productivity was as a result of the injury that he was carrying or whether his new contract and fruitful first season were causing him to lose focus is arbitrary at this time but one thing is for sure, Skippy really does need to get back on track if he is to shake the comparisons with Andy Walker and if he is to get a cure for one-season-wonderitis.
Personally I think the wee man will get back on track and start banging the goals in again, but I think he may have to spend a bit of time on the bench before he gets there.
Yours in Celtic
Clydebuilt