Stephen Welsh has returned to Motherwell on loan.
Celtic gave the green light for Welsh to return to the Steelmen until the end of the season after they announced the loan signing of Benjamin Arthur.
Welsh had been a vital part of Jens Berthel Askou’s side and Martin O’Neill’s decision to recall him was due to the lack of options at centre-back.
The 26-year-old had to wait until the very end of the window to see if he would be heading back to Fir Park but luckily for him, the paperwork was signed in time and he is back at Motherwell.
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Stephen Welsh reacts to Motherwell return
He will now immediately go back into contention at Motherwell, where he will get to play with Celtic transfer target Tawanda Maswanhise.
After his return was announced, Welsh revealed that he was delighted to return to the side where he was so impressive earlier this year.
He told Motherwell’s club website: “It’s not been an ideal situation, but I’m so pleased there’s been a resolution.
“I just want to play football, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time here for the first half of the season. The staff, the players and the fans are all so aligned, and as a player, it’s the perfect environment to play your football in.
“I’ll need to work to get myself back into the team now. The boys have done unbelievably well since I’ve been gone, which has been great. I’m buzzing to get back here, and I can’t wait to pick up where I left off.”
Will we see Stephen Welsh again?
It is highly unlikely that the centre-back will wear the green and white of Celtic again.
Other sides were interested in signing the defender until he featured in the Scottish Cup win against Auchinleck Talbot, meaning that he could only play for the Hoops or Motherwell for the rest of this season.
His final appearance was a brief cameo in the 2-0 win against Falkirk and now that he has left again, that will probably be that for his Celtic career.
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