BRENDAN RODGERS looks to have opened the door to Filip Benkovic leaving on-loan this January with the defender still looking to feature for the first team. Filip has been injured but is now in a place where he’s pushing to get into the squad but it appears there is no way through at the moment.
Celtic wanted to keep him in the summer but it became clear very early on this would not be possible. However, Rodgers latest comments on the Croatian’s situation could see Celtic reignite their interest in Filip.
“For Filip, it’s a very difficult position for him. He’s fighting every day to be fitter and stronger.” Rodgers told RecordSport.
“We’ll see where he’s at in January, whether he needs games with more pressure, or whether he stays and is that support player should anything happen.”
During his loan last season, Benkovic made 27 appearances for the club in all competitions. It’s clear he is a great defender when he can stay injury free and he deserves to be playing on a more regular basis. The problem for Celtic is they have their centre-back pairing and if they did show an interest in Filip there’s no guarantee he dislodges either centre-back. Neil Lennon showed last term he’ll play contracted players over loan signings.
Brendan has went on record as saying if Filip does go out on loan again he would love it to be Celtic.
“Filip is a top-class young player but if he goes on loan again, I’d love him to return to Celtic.” he told RecordSport back in the summer.
“He needs to play and Celtic has been a great experience for him.””
