Celtic have granted former West Ham United striker Carlton Cole a leave of absence for personal reasons, according to Scottish broadcaster STV.
The 32-year-old Englishman has rarely featured for Celtic since joining the Hoops on a free transfer in October.
Cole has thus far clocked up just 146 minutes over five appearances in all competitions for the Scottish champions, scoring once and providing an assist.
The striker scored his only goal for Celtic in the 3-0 win over Stranraer in the Scottish Cup on 10th January, while his last appearance for Ronny Deila’s team came as a substitute in the 8-1 rout of Hamilton Academical in a league game nine days later.
Cole, who has been absent from Celtic’s Lennoxtown training base for two weeks, has been allowed to travel to head south to England for a personal matter.
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However, the forward is expected to be back at Celtic soon, with the former England international also providing the club with a fixed return date.
Cole, whose present contract with Celtic runs until the summer of 2017, counts Chelsea, Aston Villa and West Ham amongst his former employers.
