Celtic defender Andrew Gutman back in pre-season training with FC Cincinnati

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Celtic defender Andrew Gutman has been pictured taking part in FC Cincinnati’s pre-season preparations.

The USA starlet signed a loan deal with the MLS strugglers back in the summer that takes him to the end of the 2020 campaign (MLS). And after three months without any competitive football, Gutman is back getting prepared for another campaign in the US top flight.

Cincinnati have been taking videos of their day one sessions and posting them on social media. Gutman can be seen in the following clips:

Gutman’s last competitive match for Cincinnati came back on October 6th. However, that was only his eighth appearance for the club (Transfermarkt). He’s still to be given a prolonged run of games in the MLS, and that will be his goal this season.

Despite his stint in America being brief last term, that didn’t stop him from earning plaudits from the Cincinnati supporters. Indeed, he was singled out for specific praise after games against Columbus Crew and New York City

Gutman loan looks ideal in hindsight

This looks like a great opportunity for Gutman to make himself stand out in one of world football’s increasingly popular leagues.

Cincinnati will have a big challenge on their hands too if last season was anything to go by. They ended up finishing bottom of the Eastern Conference due to their poor performances throughout the campaign.

Overall, Gutman wasn’t able to win a single one of his eight appearances for Cincinnati. He’ll be looking for a much-improved team display this season as well as an increased level of individual performance.

When you look at the left-back situation at Parkhead these days, this move has turned out well. Boli Bolingoli, Greg Taylor, and Jonny Hayes all have better pedigree than the USA prodigy. If he was to have remained at Parkhead over the course of the summer, he would likely have been fourth choice.

Instead, he’ll be coming up against talents such as Gyasi Zardes and Carlos Vela to name a couple – it certainly beats reserve action. He’ll also likely come up against Lewis Morgan too once his deal to Inter Miami is sealed.

So it should be an exciting year for Gutman, but it’s also a crucial one for his Celtic career. Hopefully, he continues to develop nicely in the States.