Hartson predicts that the Hoops will lose several defenders at the end of the season.
Celtic legend John Hartson has warned the Scottish Premiership club that they need to bolster their defensive ranks in the summer otherwise they would be in trouble in case injury strikes any of the centre-backs expected to stay beyond the end of the season.
The one-time Hoops striker believes that Dedryck Boyata will leave Parkhead in the summer, the Belgium international’s contract up at the end of May and the club unlikely to be able to afford his services thereafter, Hartson has written in the Glasgow Evening Times.
In addition, with Filip Benkovic on loan from Leicester City and Jeremy Toljan on Borussia Dortmund’s books, Hartson does not expect either to join Celtic permanently, while also predicting that Mikael Lustig will not be offered a new deal despite Neil Lennon liking the player.
Therefore, this would leave Kristoffer Ajer, Jack Hendry and Jozo Simunovic as the club’s established centre-backs, so Hartson – a former teammate of Lennon’s at Celtic in the 2000s – has been eager to stress that they cannot put themselves in such a position.
“Filip Benkovic will go back to Leicester City and Jeremy Toljan will return to Borussia Dortmund,” Hartson wrote in the Evening Times. “I am not sure if Celtic will decide to give Mikael Lustig another year even though I know that Neil likes him and has been playing him in recent weeks.
“That will leave Celtic short defensively. They can’t put themselves in a position where they only have Kristoffer Ajer, Jack Hendry and Jozo Simunovic. If one of them was to get injured they would be in trouble.”
As things stand, the Bhoys have six fixtures remaining this season – the Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen and the five Scottish Premiership post-split fixtures, while the Scottish Cup final would take place at the end of May.
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