I thought it was over for me .. my body was saying I’d played too many matches. Now I can see me staying at Celtic FOREVER
Lustig’s plotting more Hoops glory after fearing injury had finished him
MIKAEL LUSTIG wants to finish his career at Celtic – four years after wondering if it was already over.
The Parkhead hero is a key member of Brendan Rodgers’s squad and has made a massive contribution to the recent successes of the Scottish champions.
Lustig joined from Rosenborg in a bargain £1.5million deal six years ago. Since then the Swedish international has gone on to scoop a staggering 10 winners’ medals.
But at one stage early on during his spell in Glasgow, Lustig wasn’t sure if his body was going to fully recover and allow him to savour the special times.
Starting off under Neil Lennon at Celtic, the defender’s progress was halted with injuries, including a restrictive hip problem, and he spent too much time on the sidelines.
Lustig was a regular in the Parkhead treatment room and feared he would never be able to enjoy such a long and successful spell in the Hoops.
The fans’ favourite recalled he spent weeks in pain and despair while coping with injuries and agonising over his future.
Lustig admitted: “I had two seasons at Celtic where it was very tough for me.
“Occasionally, it actually felt like it was all over for me.
“My body was telling me I had played too many matches.
“I was injured for three weeks, came back and played two games then picked up a new injury and was out for another two weeks. I could never get a good rhythm.
“It’s not fun to go to rehab on your own and miss so many big club and country matches.”
At that point, Lustig devised a plan to help him return to fitness.
Casting his mind back to the sustained runs of games he enjoyed in his homeland and then Norway before arriving in Scotland, the stopper changed his routines and the pay-off was instant.
Lustig said: “I thought back to what I was doing at Rosenborg. I did not miss a match there for over three years. I remembered what I did after those games.
“Now I’ve started to train a lot on my own here in Celtic, both before and after the games in the gym. It’s preventative for me.”
Lennon’s successor Ronny Deila was the first to enjoy the benefits of the injury-free Sweden star on a regular basis.
However, the appointment of Rodgers has lifted his levels of success and performance. Lustig could cap a sensational past 18 months with qualifying for the World Cup tonight if Sweden can hang onto their 1-0 advantage over Italy in the play-off second leg.
Lustig admits he has made huge strides working with Rodgers and learned how to play the game in a number of new ways.
Such is his enjoyment of playing under the Northern Irishman, the experienced defender is even considering an alteration to his long-term career plan, with his family so settled in Scotland.
Lustig had previously indicated he’d like to return to his homeland to end his playing days after leaving Sundsvall nine years ago.
But now the 30-year-old, who is under contract until May 2019, has had a change of heart and would like nothing better than to finish his career at Celtic.
He said: “When you play professional football you begin to understand how tough it is to get there. I am very pleased with how far I have come.
“In the past, I have always said I want to come back to Sweden but the more I’m abroad and the more I play for Celtic, the more I think of finishing my career here.
“We haven’t lost a match in Scotland for a long time and have broken records.
“It’s hard to beat that. Brendan Rodgers is a great coach for me. Certainly the best I’ve had. He knows exactly what he wants.
“He is so good because we can change tactics and the way he wants to play from match to match or even during games.
“We have played with three at the back, five or four. Rodgers says what we have to do. I have learned a lot from him in the last year.
“I have progressed so much under him. I’ve found a new way to play.
“I’ve gone from being an attacking full-back to a more defensively important player.
“I’ve played in midfield or in a three-man defence. I’ve played in a different role where I’ve had a lot of the ball.
“When you play over 50 games a year, it’s healthy to change the way you play occasionally.
“I know I am fit and can contribute in many ways. Our left-back Kieran Tierney is a young guy who is extremely talented and he gets forward very often.
“We are so happy here. After six years here I love the club, my family thrives and it is it working well with schools for our daughters. It would take a lot for me to leave Celtic.”