Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers were interested in Andrew Gutman, before Celtic signed him.
Celtic announced the loan departure of former Rangers trialist Andrew Gutman on Friday.
The 22-year-old, who spent time at Rangers’ Auchenhowie base in December, only joined Celtic last month on a three-and-a-half year deal.
American Soccer Now reported that Gutman and Matt Polster were offered full-time deals by the Ibrox club, though only 25-year-old defender Polster wound up accepting his.
But did Gutman make a mistake? Potentially.
It remains to be seen why the Hoops loaned him to Charlotte Independence, but it seems logical that it’s because Brendan Rodgers simply didn’t need him right now, rather than it being a work permit issue.
His fellow American Polster is with Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad after being granted a visa in Paris last month.
Plus, Rodgers has plenty of left-backs – like Kieran Tierney, Jonny Hayes and Emilio Izaguirre to name a few – but the Rangers boss only has the one in Borna Barisic really.
It’s possible that had Gutman accepted the light Blues’ offer, he, like Polster, would still be with Gerrard’s squad now rather than being back in the United States, on loan at a second-tier American side.
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