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Celtic defensive troubles at the beginning of the season were well documented on this site and others.
After losing Carl Starfelt to Celta Vigo and the injuries to Cameron Carter-Vickers, Stephen Welsh and Yuki Kobayashi mounted up, Brendan Rodgers had to dip into the transfer market to strengthen the squad.
Spending over £7m on Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki seemed like brilliant business by Celtic but with Nawrocki also falling foul to injury, that left just Liam Scales and Lagerbielke as the club’s only two recognised centrebacks.
And to be fair, apart from the Champions League game against Feyenoord, both players equipped themselves well.
The return of Carter-Vickers meant one had to drop out and, unfortunately for the Swede, the form of Liam Scales meant that he had to sit on the sidelines.
But not only has Lagerbielke fallen out of the team, he’s fallen off the face of the earth as he struggles to make the matchday squad recently.
So what exactly has happened to the player who was recently crowned the Allsvenskan’s Defender of the Year in November?
Gustaf Lagerbielke opens up on being frozen out at Celtic
Despite that accolade and being capped for Sweden recently, the £3m summer signing from Elfsborg still can’t get a sniff of football under Rodgers at Celtic.
And speaking to Swedish podcast, Lundh, Lagerbielke opens up on life at Celtic on the sidelines.
Lagerbielke said [], “We had a lot of injuries to central defenders at the beginning of the season, which meant that I had to play a lot.
“I played my first game without having done a single training session with the team. It was special. I’m happy with my performance, I’ve played six or seven league games without conceding a single goal.
“It’s a tough competitive situation. We have seven centre-backs in the squad who are all senior players. It’s tough competition, that’s the way it is.
“You just have to make the best of the situation and take every opportunity to get better. The coaches of the team are very good, and the facilities here as well.
“I’m just trying to develop every day, and eventually my chance will come and then it’s important to take it.” [translated by ]
It seems like Lagerbielke will have some trouble making it back into the Celtic team but at least he hasn’t given up hope.
There is a belief about the player and he seems determined to make it at the club despite what Brendan Rodgers said yesterday.
But as Lagerbielke points out, there is competition in the side for his position, maybe too much, but it is now up to him to prove that he’s got what it takes to become a Celtic defender of the future.
In other news, ‘I know’… Mark Guidi now makes exciting Celtic transfer claim ahead of January window