Former Celtic defender Moritz Jenz has secured a move to Bundesliga side Schalke after his loan move to Parkhead was cut short in January.
The 23-year-old announced on Wednesday evening that his time in Glasgow would be coming to an end in an emotional Instagram post.
Jenz made 19 appearances under Ange Postecoglou this campaign after arriving on loan from Lorient in the summer, including in all six of the Bhoys UEFA Champions League fixtures.
The centre-back filled in well, whilst the likes of Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers missed early periods of the season through injury.
However, after their full return and the signing of Yuki Kobayashi in the January window, game time became harder to come by for Jenz.
His final appearance for the Hoops came back in November during a 2-1 win over Ross County. He was then made to settle for a place on the bench.
Although Celtic did retain an option to buy in the initial loan deal, as game time became more limited, there was a feeling that the club wouldn’t make the move permanent.
And reports over the last few weeks began to speculate that the German’s time at the club could be cut short in the January transfer window.
Yesterday, Jenz confirmed his loan spell would end this month, and just one day later, he has already secured a loan move for the second half of the campaign.
Moritz Jenz completes move to Schalke as defenders eye up another permanent deal.
This afternoon, it was announced that the defender would be heading back to his homeland, joining Bundesliga side FC Schalke.
Similar to his deal at Celtic, initially, Jenz will sign for the club on loan, with Schalke making the purchase permanent in the summer, should they avoid relegation.
Despite being born in Germany, his latest January move will mark Jenz’s first opportunity to play senior football in his homeland after moving to Fulham’s academy in 2015 as a youngster.
Jenz is going to have a tough task on his hands as he looks to sort out Schalke’s defensive worries at the lower end of the top flight in Germany.
Currently, the club sits rock bottom of the league, five points off their closest rivals. They have also conceded the most times this season, losing 41 goals in 17 matches.
So the former Celtic man will need to do all he can to try and sure up the defensive backline, particularly if he wants to make the move permanent in the summer.
It is a shame that Jenz’s time at Parkhead had to come to an abrupt end. He was clearly a player who loved playing for the shirt.
However, it was ultimately the best move for all parties, and now the centre-back has the opportunity to play regular first-team football once again.
We wish him all the best of luck as he aims to achieve the task of avoiding relegation with his new club!
One date some Celtic supporters may want to keep a close eye on is when Schalke go up against Union Berlin on the 19th of February, which will see Jenz reunited with ex-Hoops teammate Josip Juranovic.
In other news, One-time Celtic target Kevin Nisbet closing in on English Championship move.
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