John Hartson believes Celtic defenders Stephen Welsh and Maik Nawrocki may need to assess their futures at the club if they want regular first-team football.
Welsh, currently on loan at KV Mechelen in Belgium, has been getting valuable game time — something he struggled for at Parkhead.
Meanwhile, Nawrocki, despite an impressive display in the recent Glasgow Derby, has found opportunities hard to come by and has slipped back down the pecking order behind Liam Scales and Auston Trusty, with the latter also struggling for consistent starts.
Speaking on Go Radio, former Hoops striker Hartson suggested both players may be facing a crossroads.
“Welsh, I think, is up against it because of some of the other centre-backs,” said Hartson. “Trusty seems to be the one that’s out of the team at the minute. Scales is the one who has come back in. Sometimes you can have a bad two or three games, another player comes in, and he stays in for a while.”
He added: “For me, the ones who are on the fringes and aren’t playing every single weekend, and don’t ever look like they are going to be regulars, have got to look to move on. Not just for Celtic’s sake, but for their own careers.”
On Nawrocki specifically, Hartson continued: “He came in and I think he has played one game since that. It’s about playing, being involved and making an impact on the team. If I’m out in the cold, I want to go. Why would I want to stay somewhere where I am not playing every week?”
Dane Murray, the young defender who was in line to start the recent derby before picking up a knock, has also seemingly moved ahead of both players in Brendan Rodgers’ plans.
Welsh, linked with Serie A interest in the past, may now have decisions to make, while Nawrocki’s future also hangs in the balance as competition remains fierce at Celtic.
Celtic do seem likely to sign another defender in the summer, with their £6 million buy of Auston Trusty not really working out as many would’ve hoped. Liam Scales does still seem to be the preferred candidate next to Carter-Vickers.
