Celtic’s decision not to push a Marian Shved January loan move looks puzzling

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It’s now March and Marian Shved’s game-time at Parkhead looks just as non-existent now as it did before the winter break.

Neil Lennon came out last month and stated that Shved wasn’t getting up to the levels of other first-team regulars in training as he dropped him from the club’s Europa League squad. He also stated that he was struggling to get used to the language. (Daily Record).

Fast forward another month and Shved continues his first-team absence. We’ve played eight games since then and the Ukrainian has managed only one short cameo. That came against Clyde when he came on for the final few minutes in an almost meaningless appearance (Transfermarkt).

That appearance broke a 23-game barren spell of Shved not making any matchday squads. And since that game against Clyde, we’ve played six games without the youngster being in a single squad yet again.

So why then didn’t the club allow him to leave in January on a temporary basis?

Regular first-team games would’ve been better for his development

There is the argument that because Shved isn’t yet used to the language, he should stay in Scotland and continue to get used to the country.

However, is that really worth coming at the expense of regular first-team football? There wasn’t even a hint of a loan move in January or any reports suggesting that clubs were looking at him.

But given his pedigree in Ukraine, surely another club in Britain would’ve fancied taking him on loan for six months. After all, he scored 15 goals last season for Karpaty Lviv from an attacking midfield position (Transfermarkt). That was in Ukraine’s top division too.

If he had moved elsewhere in Scotland or even down to England, he could still have continued his development with regards to the language whilst also getting a run of regular game-time to keep himself going. It’s quite clear, after all, that he isn’t going to be getting games ahead of James Forrest. Even when Forrest does get injured, Lennon is likely to shift Ryan Christie over to the right.

This one really has proved to be a mystery all season. Shved clearly has talent given he has a full international cap with Ukraine to his name. However, he needs to be given the chance to showcase his ability on the pitch, and not only for the reserve squad.

January’s decision to keep him wrapped up at Lennoxtown just seems more and more odd as his absences from first-team action continue to grow.

Did we make a mistake in not letting Shved leave on loan in January? Are we right to keep him here until he settles more? Give us your opinion in the discussion forum below.