‘Certainly a possibility’: Celtic handed transfer boost as former Hoops star given green light for return

Follow us on Google Discover

Celtic fans may be about to witness a former defender’s second spell

Brendan Rodgers may not have left Celtic on the best of terms, but fans may be willing to let bygones be bygones if their former boss resolves their current defensive problem.

In a disappointing season, Celtic have gone out of the Betfred Cup, finished bottom of their Europa League group and fallen 19 points behind rivals Rangers in the title race, leaving their prospects of securing a historic tenth title in a row looking remote.

A significant factor in that patchy form has been their leaky defence, with 15 goals conceded in 19 league games compared to Rangers’ record of just five lost in 22.

Rodgers secured two league titles during his time at the helm, and it was the Northern Irishman who brought Filip Benkovic to Celtic Park in August 2018.

Having signed a season-long loan deal, the Croatian centre-back went on to make 27 appearances for the club as they secured the third of four successive trebles.

Having sourced the player from Leicester, Rodgers found his way to the King Power before Benkovic’s return when he joined the Foxes in February 2019.

Injury problems have restricted the player to just one appearance for Leicester since Rodgers’ arrival, and he has been sent out for loan spells with Bristol City and Cardiff City.

Now he could be set to solve Celtic’s defensive problems, with Christopher Jullien facing three to four months on the sidelines and summer signing Shane Duffy failing to settle.

Rodgers appears to be in favour of a Celtic Park return for Benkovic, with Record Sport quoting him as saying: “It’s certainly a possibility. It’s a huge club and he did very well there.

“We haven’t had any contact but he’s back now and we will see what happens.

“Celtic would be a great move for him. He’s at the age where he really needs to be playing and that didn’t quite materialise at Cardiff.

“I would never blame another manager for not playing someone because circumstances can change all the time but unfortunately it didn’t work out.

“It’s quite simple really, it’s now a case of finding somewhere where he can go next and get some game time.”