Celtic told Brendan Rodgers might have now made his feelings about Gustaf Lagerbielke pretty clear

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Andy Walker thinks Gustaf Lagerbielke’s time at Celtic could be over before it even started.

It wasn’t so long ago that the Celtic centre-back was coming off the bench and scoring a much-needed winner against Feyenoord in the Champions League.

You felt that it could have been a turning point for the £3 million Celtic summer signing, who has struggled to make himself a regular under Brendan Rodgers. 

But during Celtic’s defeat to Hearts last week – and the recent win over Livingston – he hasn’t even made the matchday squad, with Andy Walker thinking that the Celtic boss just ‘doesn’t rate some of the players that are there’, as he told Go Radio.

Look, nobody is going to argue that Liam Scales and Cameron Carter-Vickers deserve to be starters for Celtic.

But you would have felt that Gustaf Lagerbielke – it has been shared what those inside the club think of him – had now done enough to earn himself a place on the bench after that winner in the Champions League, but clearly not.

Gustaf Lagerbielke’s absence from the Celtic squad 

“Lagerbielke, who came on in the Champions League, he scores a goal and it was a great positive story about him,” said Walker.

“And then he isn’t even in the squad for the weekend – clearly Brendan Rodgers doesn’t rate some of the players that are there.

“You can only guess that some of the players that were brought in the summer. He just doesn’t fancy them.”

Brendan Rodgers sending a message to the Celtic board?

This is probably the manager sending a message to the powers that be ahead of the January transfer window opening.

Yes, the recent win over Livingston has lifted the mood around the place. But those chants of ‘sack the board’ were made for a reason.

The fans and the manager want action in January. Perhaps with Lagerbielke not being picked, this is Rodgers sending out a message.

With Nat Phillips set to return to Liverpool, and if Lagerbielke isn’t fancied, then that does open the door to allow Rodgers to bring in a new centre-back.