Celtic summer signing Steven Mouyokolo will be out for six months with a complete rupture of an Achilles tendon, Hoops boss Neil Lennon has confirmed.

The 26-year-old returned to France where he has had surgery on the injury picked up at training on Monday.

Lennon said: “It was an innocuous thing. He was running for the ball and we heard this pop.

“We thought he had clipped someone’s ankle but obviously straight away he knew something was wrong and he went over to the side.

“He had a complete rupture of his Achilles tendon, he has had surgery in France. We are waiting on how well the operation went but we are looking at maybe six months, so we are hoping to see him sometime in the New Year.”

Mouyokolo has made two starts since signing for the Scottish champions in July, following his comeback from a cruciate ligament injury.

He was a free agent after his contract with Wolves was terminated by mutual consent in January and was handed a one-year deal by the Parkhead club after impressing on trial during their pre-season trip to Germany and Austria.

Lennon said: “It is devastating for him. He has worked so hard.

“This is a totally separate injury to the previous ones he had. It can happen to anyone at any time.

“He has just had horrendous luck and he will support him all the way and hopefully we can get him back up and running February or March.”