BACK home in Sweden, Mikael Lustig hinted to the local media that he plans to sign a new contract extension at Celtic which will keep him at the club beyond the end of this season when his current deal expires.
There has been speculation in the Swedish media that Lustig may sign for a side in his homeland to see out the last few years of his playing career but that does not seem to be the plan for the experienced right back who performed so well for his country at the World Cup in Russia back in the summer.
“People can wonder as much as you want, but I have a contract with Celtic and I think I’ll play there next year too,” Lustig stated.
The Swedish media pressed him further on his plans for next season but The Celtic man remained tight-lipped, restricting his additional response to this: “As I said, you can speculate.”
Brendan Rodgers has in recent months worked with the club to tie down the players he wants to remain at the club on new and improved contracts. Tom Rogic got the ball rolling – as he usually does – back in May he he signed a new five year deal.
This season has seen new deals for Leigh Griffiths, Olivier Ntcham and Ryan Christie and there are discussions underway with captain Scott Brown and Belgium World Cup star Dedryck Boyata.
If both of these could get announced by the club that would give The Celtic support a huge boost.
Meanwhile Mikael Lustig has heaped praise on the Scottish stars he sees every day as teammates at Celtic.
And Englishman Scotty Sinclair has done something similar – going out of his way to praise James Forrest who was unable to get a start for Alex McLeish in the last international break despite being in sensational form for the Hoops. You can read what Sinclair has had to say HERE.
Lustig did his bit too, in the campaign to highlight the quality of Celtic’s Scottish players and he believes that this is not a new thing – they have been showing what they’ve got for a long time now.
“It’s not just lately. For as long as they have been playing, they have made a contribution,” Lustig said.
“Of course, as a fan you, want to see people who have been raised at the club.
“To have players such as KT, Cal and Jamesie brought up with the club at heart is massive. They know everything about the club and can pass that on to others coming into the system from other teams or abroad.
“Even when he was not in the team, I’ve always said Cal was one of the most important players in the squad and now he’s in there and starting every game.
“He has proved how much he has developed under the gaffer. What’s his best role? He has four or five! That’s why I’ve said he is a really important guy to have. Players like that make the gaffer really happy.
“Jamesie has been flying and when he’s on form there’s no better player in Scotland in my view. KT is KT. He is never going to have a bad game.
“Now you can add Ryan to that list. He’s been brilliant.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they all played for Scotland, but I’m not going to pick the team. Of course, they wouldn’t let anyone down,” Lustig said.
The Swedish defender also gave his thoughts on how the Europa League group is panning out with four games down and two to go. He reckons that Salzburg are going to win it with Celtic fighting their German Red Bull cousins RB Leipzig for the second qualifying spot. (Technically though Salzburg could finish third so it is all to play for).
“With Celtic, it’s now us and Leipzig in a fight for second in our Europa League group. We’re doing well domestically, but we want to prove we can do it in Europe, too.”
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— thecelticstar (@thecelticstar) November 13, 2018
