Scottish Premiership champions Celtic signed Moritz Bauer on loan from Championship Stoke City – but he’s stuck behind Jeremie Frimpong at Parkhead.
Moritz Bauer has admitted that his loan spell at Celtic has not gone to plan with the Stoke City loanee describing his Parkhead stint as ‘not satisfactory’, in quotes reported by the Record.
When an all-action Austrian international arrived in Glasgow towards the end of last summer, he was hoping to quickly establish himself as Celtic’s number one right-back while stepping into a Mikael Lustig-shaped void in Neil Lennon’s starting XI.
But Bauer, like most people, probably didn’t see the rapid rise of Jeremie Frimpong coming.
A 19-year-old speed-machine who was pretty much an unknown when he swapped Manchester City for the Scottish champions, Frimpong has been a revelation north of the border with his sensational displays relegating Bauer, a player nine years his senior, to the bench.
The former Rubin Kazan flyer has started just six Premiership games for Celtic with his hopes of a place in Austria’s Euro 2020 squad taking a hit along the way.
“My initial aim was to play around 50 competitive games,” said Bauer, who is currently 38 appearances short of his own personal target. “But it will be significantly less because the club is pushing a young talent in my full-back position.
“It has not been a bad season for me, but also not satisfactory either.
“It is clear to me that I am not holding the best hand to get into the Austria squad for the Euro 2020 Finals and that time is not on my side.”
In truth, Bauer only has himself to blame. The 28-year-old hasn’t exactly impressed in his few appearances in Celtic colours so far.
Frimpong is far more effective in the final third with his lightning pace leaving the opposition quaking in their boots. Israel international Hatem Abd Elhamed, meanwhile, is probably the best defensive right-back in Celtic’s squad.
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