Former Celtic defender Maik Nawrocki is facing an extended spell on the sidelines after Lens confirmed he has suffered a complete tear of his anterior cruciate ligament.
Trzymaj się, Maik 💪
Sérieusement touché, Maik Nawrocki souffre d’une rupture complète du ligament croisé antérieur et subira une opération chirurgicale. L’ensemble du club se tient aux côtés de son défenseur et lui adresse ses meilleurs vœux de rétablissement. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/jmmc42mlcB
— Racing Club de Lens (@RCLens) September 3, 2026
It is a cruel blow for the Poland international, who had made an impressive start to life in France following his summer move to the Champions League club.
Nawrocki helped Lens defeat Paris Saint-Germain to win the Trophee des Champions, but he now looks set to miss the remainder of the campaign after suffering the serious knee injury.
Lens pledged their full support to the 25-year-old in a statement on Thursday.
They said on X: “Hang in there, Maik.
“Seriously injured, Maik Nawrocki is suffering from a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and will undergo surgery.
“The entire club stands by its defender and sends him its best wishes for a speedy recovery.”
Nawrocki joined former Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard at Lens this summer after the French side finished runners-up to PSG in Ligue 1 and lifted the Coupe de France during a historic campaign last season.
Those exploits secured Champions League football, with Liverpool and Manchester City among their league-phase opponents, although Nawrocki will now cruelly be unable to take part.
His move to France came after he rebuilt his reputation during an impressive loan spell with Hannover 96 last season.
Celtic paid around £4.3million to sign Nawrocki from Legia Warsaw in 2023, but he struggled to establish himself as a regular under Brendan Rodgers.
While injuries disrupted parts of his two seasons in Glasgow, they were largely niggling muscular problems rather than anything approaching the severity of his latest setback.
Liam Scales, Stephen Welsh and Nat Phillips were all preferred at various stages, while Gustaf Lagerbielke, who arrived during the same summer, endured a similarly difficult time breaking into the Celtic side.
Lagerbielke subsequently impressed on loan at FC Twente before earning a permanent move to Braga, where he is now attracting Premier League interest.
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