Celtic ace Emilio Izaguirre confirms that he wanted to leave Parkhead in the summer

Follow us on Google Discover

The left-back had lost his place in the Celtic side to Kieran Tierney.

Emilio Izaguirre has confirmed that he had hoped to leave Celtic in the summer after losing his place in the team, but was convinced by Brendan Rodgers to remain at Parkhead, The Scottish Sun reports.

The 30-year-old had been a key man for the Hoops since his arrival in 2010, and was awarded for a sensational 2010/11 season as he picked up numerous individuals accolades, including SPFA Players’ Player of the Year and Scottish Football Writers’ Player of the Year.

Celtic’s Emilio Izaguirre

Nevertheless, he lost his place during Ronny Deila’s final season with the Bhoys as Kieran Tierney swiftly elevated himself from academy prospect into key first-team player.

And after making just 25 appearances in all competitions last term – just five of which came after November of that season – Izaguirre has admitted that he was seriously considering his options before Rodgers arrived.

“Last summer, I tried to move to another club to play more football,” he said, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

“But the manager told me he needed to keep me in case anything happened to young KT.

Though the Honduran has remained on the periphery this term, and has made just five appearances so far, he will certainly get to add to that tally in the coming weeks due to the injury to Tierney.

And while Izaguirre may welcome the chance to make an impact, he insisted that he takes no pleasure in the circumstances that have led to his recall.

Kieran Tierney

“Of course I feel sorry for KT he is injured and will be out for two months,” he added.

“I play for Celtic but I am also a Celtic fan. I want the team to do well, and I want to help the club in any way that I can.”

Despite the lack of opportunities, he has proved his class this season as he has helped Celtic keep clean sheets in four of the five games he has featured in, with the only goal against them coming in Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Borussia Monchengladbach.

Tierney’s potential surely means that he will quickly regain his place in the team when he gets back to full fitness, but Izaguirre will be looking to make the most of his current opportunity to prove to Rodgers that he also deserves to feature prominently in the future.