OUT on loan Celtic defender Erik Sviatchenko has questioned Brendan Rodgers’ decision not to play him ad in doing so effectively closes the door on any hopes that he would have of resurrecting his Celtic career in the summer when his loan spell with his old club concludes.
Rodgers looked at all the players he inherited in Ronny Deila’s bloated squad. For some – like Nadir Ciftci – who actually scored the first goal for Rodgers as Celtic manager, and Scott Allan – a decision was taken fairly swiftly.
For others, like Saidy Janko, they sealed their own fate by letting the side down at crucial moments. Rodgers can be ruthless as for example his own signing Dorus de Vries has found out on two occasions since arriving in Glasgow.
“I have never received or asked for an explanation about what happened to me at Celtic. I can only say that I played the first year under Brendan Rodgers, where we won virtually everything. But after an injury and a mistake that cost a goal, he dropped me. It surprised me.
“It has been hard because at one point or another – no matter how much self-confidence you have – you begin to doubt yourself,” the Dane said.
He very much sees the positive side of getting back to his homeland to play for FC Midtjylland again, even if it is no more than a temporary arrangement.
“So I would call my time here a positive pit stop. I’m here to be reborn as a football player. I’ve experienced ups and downs during my time abroad, but I feel I am more mature and experienced as a result,” Erik stated.
The no-nonsense defender clearly sees England as better option for him next season, although after missing out on a move to Leicester City last winter, he is realistic enough to realise that he’ll probably have more chance of getting a move to the Championship rather than the Premier League.
“I’m open to my next step, although me and my family would rather find a new adventure in Britain. I still feel that I have the abilities and the potential to reach my dream. It’s unchanged…my ambition is still the English Premier League.
“I may have to take another stop on the road there, for example in the English Championship, which is totally undervalued and a good showcase. But my dream lives on,” Sviatchenko said.
The intensity of his time at Celtic will, he believes, stand him in good stead for any move to England.
“It’s just a different level over in Scotland. Celtic belong to the top 10 football clubs in the world. The pressure is absolutely huge. For example, after a league match where we won 1-0, there was a fight in our dressing room.
“While I was enjoying the fact we had a victory and a clean sheet, two of our strikers fought because we should have won 3-0. That shows you the pressure that is always on Celtic,” Sviatchenko revealed. He is clearly enjoying being out on the park playing again after an extended period on the sidelines.
“I could have been on the bench at Celtic, but I didn’t want to do that, I wanted to play. That’s why Midtjylland was the best choice.
Where ever Erik ends up, whether it is in England or elsewhere, he knows that he is unlikely to experience a set of supporters as passionate as he had behind him at Celtic.
“At Celtic, you are idolised, but not in an unpleasant way. The fans are polite, but often you are asked to set up photos and autographs. Or hold newborn babies!
