Mikael Lustig joined Jupiler League challengers Gent this summer after winning eight Scottish Premiership titles with Celtic.
Mikael Lustig has admitted to the Daily Record that he is glad to have escaped the relentless pressure that comes with playing for Celtic, claiming that he couldn’t even go out for food if The Hoops lost a game.
Lustig spent eight years at Parkhead, winning the Scottish Premiership title every single season to establish himself as one of the most successful Celtic players of the modern era.
But despite almost a decade of loyal service, the Swedish international was not exempt from criticism. He became a scapegoat among some supporters in his final few years in green and white as the energy that characterised his early displays diminished with age.
Lustig bid an emotional farewell when his contract expired in July and he’s certainly relishing a more laid-back life in Belgium, having joined Jupiler League title-challengers Gent on a free transfer.
“Celtic are an extremely large club and it means an awful lot to people in Glasgow. Life in Ghent is different. Of course the people care there, but it’s not like people know who I am in if I go into town,” he said.
“There is a massive difference. It’s nice to escape that side of things. I lived under that pressure for eight years.
“I did like it at certain times, but it’s not nice to know that if we lose then you can’t go an eat in a restaurant for the next three weeks.”
Moritz Bauer, Hatem Elhamed and Jeremie Frimpong are now competing for a place in Neil Lennon’s starting XI with Celtic signing three new right-backs before the transfer window slammed shut in early September.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
