Brendan Rodgers shares reason for chat with Celtic’s Mikael Lustig

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Brendan Rodgers wanted to speak to Celtic defender Mikael Lustig after signing Jeremy Toljan.

In comments reported by the Daily Record, Brendan Rodgers has admitted that he felt obliged to speak to Mikael Lustig after Celtic signed Jeremy Toljan on loan on the final day of the January transfer window.

Toljan made it through the Parkhead door in the final hours of the window, joining on loan from Borussia Dortmund for the rest of the campaign. While he may only be set to spend the next few months with the Hoops, his arrival has raised further questions about Lustig’s Bhoys future.

The Daily Record reports that the Swede is out of contract in the summer. And while they add that Celtic have an option to extend his terms by another year, it seems difficult to work out whether he will be kept on beyond this campaign.

Toljan’s arrival perhaps hinted that Rodgers is planning for life without the 32-year-old. And it seems that Rodgers felt the need to explain to the Hoops hero exactly why he had decided to complete the January signing.

“I spoke to him so that he and I know where everything is at,” he said, as reported by the Daily Record. “He is someone I have a real respect for and that is why I made sure I spoke to him the very first moment I could after the transfer window closed.

“We had a nice chat on Friday. He is happy with it and will go with it and we will speak again. Mikael fully deserves the respect of knowing the reasons why we would bring in Jeremy and what it looks like going forward.”

Toljan is certainly the kind of player who could push Lustig closer to the exit. He is an incredibly exciting addition for the Hoops, and if there is any opportunity to keep him beyond the initial loan spell, Celtic would be wise to seriously consider it.

And if they are unable to keep him, Toljan thriving could still have a negative impact on Lustig’s situation. The latter’s form has generally been disappointing in recent times, and the Bhoys’ January signing shining would make that point even clearer – and thus, making the need to find a permanent replacement seem more urgent.