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Matthew Anderson enjoys stellar promotion season in Belgium after Celtic exit

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Ex-Celtic man Matthew Anderson is celebrating promotion to the Belgian Pro League with KV Kortrijk.

The left-back departed Glasgow in the summer, having been at Celtic since he was 13.

He never featured in a first team squad for the Hoops, instead heading out on loan to Admira Wacker for two years, as part of a partnership between the clubs.

Anderson’s decision to move to Belgium last summer certainly looks to have paid off, as he prepares for Belgian Pro League football.

Celtic have bloated their squad with a high volume of ‘project’ signings over the last decade…

Celtic academy question
Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images

Ex-Celtic man Matthew Anderson secures promotion to Belgian Pro League with KV Kortrijk

Despite Kortrijk’s defeat to SK Beveren on Saturday, Beerschot only managing a draw against Eupen guaranteed that Anderson’s side would be promoted due to their head-to-head record.

It’s an immediate return to the top-flight for the Belgian side, who are owned by infamous Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan.

READ MORE: Celtic among ‘enquiries’ for Scott McKenna as Dinamo Zagreb brace for exit

SOCCER CPL D8 KV KORTRIJK VS KAS EUPEN
Photo by KURT DESPLENTER/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Anderson has more than played his part, too, with five assists and two goals in 27 appearances as a left-back and left-wing-back.

Anderson was the subject of intense interest from Leeds as a 17-year-old, being viewed as one of the brightest prospects in the inaugural season of the Celtic B team.

Despite the club tying him down to a long-term contract, they would lose him on a free transfer three years later.

Anderson wasn’t the only one loaned out during Celtic’s partnership with the Austrian club. Tobi Oluwayemi and Ben Summers made the same move.

The co-operation seems to, at least, be on hold at the moment, with no movement between the clubs this season.

Now aged 22, Anderson is a 12-time Scotland Under-21 international, and he is contracted with the Belgian club until 2028.

Were Celtic right to invest £20 million in Barrowfield with so many academy players leaving?

He was named the league’s player of the month in September, and was even regularly touted as a hot prospect during his days at Celtic.

Colby Donovan is an example of the rewards that can arrive when young full-backs are given first-team opportunities at Celtic.