Scottish Premiership giants Celtic had agreed an £800,000 deal to sign South African defender Rivaldo Coetzee last summer.
Rivaldo Coetzee was on the verge of signing for Celtic last summer.
A highly-rated, ball-playing South African centre-back, the Ajax Cape Town ace had agreed terms on an £800,000 move to Parkhead in August, as reported by The Mail – only for the deal to fall through at the eleventh hour in heartbreaking fashion.
The 21-year-old subsequently signed for Mamelodi Sundowns instead, but hasn’t played a single game since August. And the Scottish Sun reports that Coetzee might never play again.
The report claims that doctors have been unable to solve the issue even after an operation. And it’s understood that Coetzee could even be forced to retire before his career has even got going.
“Rivaldo is a sad story. I have not seen him kicking a ball since he joined us,” Pitso Mosimane, the manager of Mamelodi Sundowns, is quoted. “We are consulting every day and people are saying they have never seen anything like this.”
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers was understood to be a big fan of Coetzee, describing him as an ‘outstanding player’ last summer as a move to the Scottish Premiership edged ever closer.
Blessed with excellent reading of the game and a real composure in possession, he looked pretty much the archetypal Rodgers centre-back. He had also earned 23 caps for South Africa at the age of just 21.
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