Forgotten Celtic man who was part of Arsenal’s Invincibles side revealed the exact moment he decided to cut loan short

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A former Celtic loanee revealed why he chose to cut his loan at Parkhead short after two months.

Playing for Celtic is a huge honour and although players have questioned the standard of Scottish football at times, but not everyone is able to cut it.

The pressure and stature of the club means that the Bhoys are a demanding environment and only the best is acceptable.

For one loan star coming in off the back of featuring in Arsenal’s 2003/04 Invincibles season, he was expected to play a crucial role.

However, the move quickly turned sour and he found himself back at the Premier League side less than three months later.

• READ MORE: Former Celtic star who failed to leave a mark on the first team wasn’t impressed by the standard of Scottish football

Jeremie Aliadiere reveals the exact moment he knew he needed to leave Celtic

Jeremie Aliadiere was signed by Gordon Strachan on loan at the start of the 2005/06 season to partner John Hartson.

After recovering from a lengthy injury, Aliadiere felt that Celtic would be a great opportunity to get game time and also challenge himself.

In the end, he only made two appearances for the Bhoys – both of those off the bench in Champions League qualifiers.

Aliadiere left the club by the end of August but revealed to the Daily Record in 2024 that he knew time was up when defender Adam Virgo was brought on ahead of him in the Glasgow derby against Rangers.

“My mind was made up against Rangers on Saturday,” he said. “I’m upset I never got the chance to show why I signed. I was on the bench again and Adam Virgo was given a chance for the final few minutes.”

Jeremie Aliadiere regrets blaming Gordon Strachan for failed Celtic move

Aliadiere initially held a grudge against Strachan as he held him responsible for his lack of game time at Parkhead but realised that he wasn’t the reason behind his lack of minutes.

The decision to sign Maciej Zurawski from Wisla Krakow that same summer pushed him down the pecking order and contributed to his decision to return.

He’d reunite with Strachan at Middlesbrough and admitted that he was wrong to blame the Scotsman.

He said: “Unfortunately, Celtic decided they wanted another striker on a permanent move. So Gordon had been told he’d have to play him ahead of me as I was only on loan. I took it as, ‘why did you want me in the first place?’ But it was not his decision.

“We worked together again at Middlesbrough. He came in and we had a great relationship there. I started and we got on well so it made me realise it was not personal, not his decision and was one of those things.”