Neil Lennon believes that Mikael Lustig’s stay at Celtic could be a possibility beyond the end of the season.
The Swede made his first start since the 2-0 win at St Johnstone back in February, when he appeared in the line-up to face Hibernian at Easter Road.
In terms of his performance, Lustig did nothing nothing wrong. He wasn’t caught out for pace and shifted the ball reasonably well. It was the kind of performance you would expect from him without making any glaring errors.
The Swede’s contract is up at the end of the season. Celtic have the option to trigger an extension. Meanwhile, however, Lennon has opened up on potentially keeping him. Speaking in the Herald, the Celtic manager refuses to disregard his 2012 signing.
“I’m not writing him off, I know what he is capable of. And what a player he is. What Mikael has done for the last seven or eight years is play non-stop football.
“He has been through the rigours of a physically demanding season. He has been playing every game possible and eventually the fatigue or stiffness or whatever you want to call it creeps in.
“But this guy has been a top, top player for this club and a top player for his country as well and I think he’s got plenty to offer Celtic. I don’t know [what will happen] but we will sit down and discuss things.”
Isn’t Lennon forgetting something?
Interestingly, Lennon is forgetting one key thing – his Hibs side constantly looked to get at Lustig.
Lennon loved using the pace of Daryl Horgan to get at the Swede whilst at Hibs. In both the 2-1 and 2-0 defeats at Easter Road, Hibs targeted Lustig due to his slow distribution.
The Celtic manager can’t allow the fact Lustig was his own signing to blinker him. The veteran has done the Hoops a huge turn over the last seven years, but he remains a liability on the park.
Jeremy Toljan was brought in to much fanfare. It’s not often supporters get excited about a right-back, and that shows just how disappointing Lustig had been.
He has made 39 appearances for club and country this season. Fatigue may very well be an issue at 32-years of age.
But, generally, Lustig remains too much of a liability to keep in there long-term. A replacement this summer is essential.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
