KV Mechelen boss claims he had to put Celtic loanee in his place

By Euan Davidson

January 8, 2021

Celtic fans love a cult hero, and Marian Shved fits the bill.

He’s never truly impressed for a sustained spell in the Hoops, but there are high hopes for his future amongst the support. A cursory glance at the #freeshved hashtag on Twitter will make that clear to anyone.

The winger has had a difficult time of it on loan at KV Mechelen, with claims that the his attitude was unacceptable.

According to respected Belgian news outlet Nieuwsblad, Shved’s outlook and prospects have improved since Wouter Vrancken’s damning remarks in the press.

Vrancken claims that his mentality had improved, with the winger making headlines for the right reasons in Belgium against Excel Mouscroun (Goal).

Shved in scoring form for Celtic / (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Celtic exile Shved on the up in Belgium

The Mechelen manager told Nieuwsblad:

“I put him in his place internally and publicly, because it was getting out of control.

“But that did make him a mentality switch. He got harder on himself during training, and came on strongly several times, with the decisive goal against Mouscron as the highlight.

”A good substitute, that was lacking this season. It’s not for everyone.”

Shved still has a fair amount of work to do to halt his decline. The former Karpaty Lviv winger only made 5 appearances in the Belgian top-flight this season (Transfermarkt).

Supporters wondered why Shved never saw much in the way of action at Celtic. However, if his experiences at KV Mechelen are any indication, he simply hasn’t impressed in training.

Perhaps Vrancken’s man-management abilities are just what the Ukrainian needed to give his career a boost. Celtic are certainly lacking numbers on the wing, and a motivated Shved would certainly help the Bhoys out at this moment in time.

Celtic, who paid £1.8m for Marian Shved, saw an exciting prospect in when he broke out at Karparty Lviv. From the wing, the Ukrainian scored 23 goals in 55 games, which shows there must be a talented player there.

At 23, he needs to be taking the most of his opportunities. For Celtic fans, the hope is that Shved will be turning his undoubted potential into end-product some time soon. Mechelen have an option to buy him permanently, but unless he’s able to make a remarkable impact in the next 5 months, he’ll be back at Celtic Park.