Maik Nawrocki’s future at Celtic after late window exit never came to fruition

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Celtic managed to solicit a power of exits during the summer transfer window as Brendan Rodgers trimmed down his squad to make way for incomings.

Hyeongyu Oh, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Tomoki Iwata and Yuki Kobayashi were among fringe players to leave for new opportunities elsewhere after failing to establish a place in the starting line-up.

At one point, it appeared that Maik Nawrocki could be set to join them through the exit door. Celtic made the defender available for a loan, but he remained at the club despite their willingness to let him depart before the deadline.

The Polish defender has had a tough time in Glasgow due to injuries, making just 13 appearances in total since joining from Legia Warsaw last summer.

With Nawrocki now set to continue at Celtic for the time being, he has a challenge on his hands to convince Brendan Rodgers that he is capable of stepping up to the mark.

Maik Nawrocki could have a sliver of hope at Celtic

On the face of it, you could make an argument to say Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Stephen Welsh, and Auston Trusty may be ahead of the 23-year-old in the pecking order.

However, earlier this week, he was named as part of Celtic’s Champions League squad. Bearing in mind only 17 players can be selected as non-homegrown from the 25 picked, he may have some hope of being able to feature against the cream of the crop in Europe.

Nawrocki has shown glimpses of his talent at Celtic. He is competent in possession and has an intriguing profile on the eye, but his fitness misfortune has limited his chance to succeed at the Bhoys.

Undoubtedly, he may need to bide his time before being given the nod by Rodgers. That is the unfortunate reality of the situation for him. In spite of that, football is a squad game and everyone will be called upon to supplement the impact of competing on several fronts this term.

During the window, Legia Warsaw expressed tentative interest in a possible reunion with the former Poland Under-21 international. Nawrocki was keen to stay and fight for his place at Celtic Park, so that will be his challenge moving forward.

Any forthcoming suitors will need to be quick if they are keen on the defender, with several windows across the world set to slam shut across the next week. Hopefully, Nawrocki can prove himself at Celtic.