Emilio Izaguirre insists he won’t be quitting Celtic anytime soon despite losing his place in the first-team.
The 31-year-old left-back has slipped down the pecking-order at the Scottish club following the emergence of exciting youngster Kieran Tierney over the past couple of seasons.
Tierney is widely regarded as one of the best young defensive prospects across the English and Scottish leagues, and Izaguirre has struggled to compete with him for a first-team place.
The 91-time Honduran international made only 18 appearances in all competitions during Celtic’s treble-winning campaign last term, and there fears that he could quit at the end of the season.
But manager Brendan Rodgers sensed his value to the team earlier this year and moved to activate a one-year extension in the player’s contract, and he will now remain at the club the end of next season.
However, Izaguirre insists he sees a life for himself at Parkhead beyond just another year, and at least another nine years in the professional game before calling time on his career.
He told the Scottish Sun: “I am proud to have played for Celtic for so long and grateful to the fans and the board. The Celtic manager has told me he wants to keep me.
“My wish to stay for three more years with my family and then go to the MLS for two years and finish my career for four or five years at Motagua in Honduras.
“And my ultimate goal is to become the manager of Motagua.”
Izaguirre moved to Celtic from Motagua in 2010, and has since made 252 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals and supplying 47 assists.
He will return to pre-season training with the Scottish club on Monday after representing Honduras at the Confederations Cup in Russia.
Celtic’s preparations for the new season are already well under-way, with the Hoops set to take on one of Linfield or SP La Fiorita in the Champions League third qualifying round next month.