ERIK SAYS GOODBYE... SEE YOU IN JULY CELTS
Dane seals £1m switch but hopes to get Celts in Europe
ERIK SVIATCHENKO has targeted a swift reunion with Celtic after formally sealing his £1m switch back to FC Midtjylland. The Danish defender would love to meet the Parkhead side in this summer’s UEFA Champions League qualifiers and has maintained that he will always be “proud and honoured” to have played for Celtic.
Having pipped Brondby to the Danish league title, unseeded Midtjylland are a potential second-round opponent for the Parkhead side. And Sviatchenko is eyeing up the possibility of a quick return to Celtic Park.
“I’d love to get Celtic!” he smiled. “That would be amazing. There is every chance
that we
might meet because of the way the draw goes so maybe I will see everyone a little sooner than expected. I am sure that would be a great tie for both of us.”
Signed by former Celtic manager Ronny Deila in January 2016, Sviatchenko fell out of favour towards the end of last term under Brendan Rodgers. When he moved to Midtjylland in January on a loan deal it seemed inevitable that an exit was likely this summer, but the stopper bears no ill will to the club.
“I made lifelong friendships at Celtic,” he said. “I will always be proud and honoured to have worn a Celtic shirt and represented such a football club. It is iconic
“All in all, I had a fantastic time at the club. I was a little bit unlucky at the start of last season when I got injured. I started the game, the Champions League qualifier, against Rosenborg, and I felt that 100 per cent I had the trust of the manager because even although I had not played a lot of games at that point, he knew I would give it my everything.
“But I tore the ligaments in my knee and from then on I felt the writing was on the wall. When I was fit again there was no way back into the team because people in front of me were playing so well.
“This is just football. Sometimes in football, like life, you have to take the best and the worst; look at Mohamed Salah on Saturday night; what a season he has had and yet he could be looking at missing not just the Champions League final but the World Cup too.
“In my personal life there are so many major things that happened to me in my time at Celtic. I had a child, I married and these beautiful moments of my life will always be intertwined with my time at the club.”
When the transfer was all but completed over the weekend, Sviatchenko sent a text to Rodgers who is currently holidaying in Majorca. The Dane wished to thank Rodgers for what he learned under him and has left with the best wishes of the Irishman to embark on a new chapter of his career.
“I sent a text to Brendan just before the deal went through,” he said. “In some ways it is a relief because I know now what I will be doing for the next few years. But I am happy and sad.
“Celtic will always be in my heart. I will always have a connection to the club. I text Brendan to say that I was proud to have played for the club at such a fantastic time and also to thank him for the development I enjoyed under him.”