Marian Shved’s position at Celtic seems to change on a consistent basis, but at the moment, a temporary move looks like the best solution.
Before Shved went out to Dubai, he left having only made two appearances since arriving in the summer. He only managed a further four matchday squads too (Transfermarkt). It’s fair to say that he was well out of the picture, with James Forrest starting consistently in his position.
However, by all accounts, he seriously impressed Neil Lennon in Dubai. Speaking after the trip, Lennon stated that he was “good” “lively”, and had “exploded into it” (The National). It seemed as though he was all set to make an impact upon the resumption of domestic action.
Yet we’re now three matchday squads into the second half of the season and still we’ve yet to see him. Shved hasn’t managed to even make a bench. The last time he managed to get on one was back in October against Ross County. The Dubai comments clearly haven’t changed much.
He’s still an outcast, regardless of whether he’s been praised in the past or not. Game-time is the true barometer of how a player is rated, and Shved hasn’t even been feeding on scraps. Considering the pedigree he arrived with, his lack of an impact here is incredibly confusing.
Send him out on loan now
If things continue in the second half of the season the way they panned out in the first, Shved has to leave on loan before the window closes.
This is a player who came to Parkhead as the third top scorer in Ukraine’s top division. He’s even been given a cap for his country this season by Adriy Shevchenko back in November against Estonia. It’s clear that he’s highly-rated back home, and he must have his eyes set on more caps.
Yet, despite the fact that he’s our only back-up right-winger, he still can’t find a way into Lennon’s thoughts. With Jeremie Frimpong also able to play further up the pitch if necessary, Shved must be wondering what’s next for him.
In fairness to him, he’s not done a lot wrong either. He scored on his Celtic debut when he slammed a fine finish home against Nomme Kalju. However, that was to be his lot, and he has only managed a short 15-minute cameo since.
Celtic can’t allow a talent like this to stagnate. When we signed him last January, we immediately sent him back out on loan to Karpaty Lviv. It allowed him to continue to play regularly, and at this stage of his career at 22, that’s exactly what he needs.
It’s clear he’s just not going to get his opportunity here at the moment. With Lennon still wanting another winger, it shows exactly what he thinks about Shved (Sky Sports). With that being the case, a loan move must be sanctioned in order to keep his career on track.
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