John Hartson says Dedryck Boyata’s agent is working on a move away from Celtic

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Boyata claimed injury prevented him from playing for Celtic against AEK Athens.

John Hartson has blasted Celtic defender Dedryck Boyata on BT Sport after Brendan Rodgers confirmed the Belgian was fit to play against AEK Athens on Tuesday night.

The Hoops were knocked out of the Champions League third-round qualifying clash, losing 2-1 on the night and 3-2 overall on aggregate as the three-man defence of Mikael Lustig, Jack Hendry and Jozo Simunovic failed to cope.

Boyata, 27, claimed he was injured on Instagram which is why he did not travel to Athens, but Rodgers said after the game he was fit. It has been reported that he is unwilling to enter negotiations over his contract, which ends in May 2019.

Hartson was clearly furious with the former Manchester City defender, claiming he does not think Boyata will play for celtic again and believes manager Rodgers will feel “let down” by the centre-back.

“My view of Boyata is that he looked as if he was still enjoying his football at Celtic,” Hartson said. “He was very much a big part of what Celtic have achieved. Celtic have tried many times to get him tied down on a long-term contract.

“But he has gone to the World Cup, and his head has been turned. Brendan Rodgers confirmed that he was fit, so he should be in the party that travelled tonight. I don’t think he will play for Celtic again – his agent is working on a move as we speak.

“If I was Brendan Rodgers, I would feel extremely let down and try to maximise what we can get for him.”

Hartson’s comments see the former Celtic striker perform a complete u-turn on Boyata’s future, after he claimed in June that Boyata deserved a new deal – stating the Belgian defender was worth £50million.

Arriving at Celtic in the summer of 2016, manager Rodgers had a player in Boyata that had struggled to get into the Celtic side. But two years of the Northern Irishman’s magic, and Boyata has impressed at the World Cup.

But his head has seemingly been turned, as Hartson suggests. Before the English deadline, Fulham made a £9million offer for his services (Scottish Sun) while the Daily Record claim Lazio and Sevilla are interested.