Celtic right-back Cristian Gamboa has dropped a major hint that he may be on his way out of Parkhead following his participation in the World Cup for Costa Rica this summer.
The defender has just one year remaining on his contract with the Scottish treble-winners and after being reduced to just two outings for the club this season, against Dundee and St Johnstone, the 28-year-old will use his international selection in Russia as a springboard for his future.
As quoted in The Scottish Sun, he said: “The World Cup has come at the ideal moment for me. It’s a relief to be able to play after a very difficult season.
“I always tried to give my best at Celtic, but they have made their decision and the manager decided he didn’t want to use me at all this season.
“I need to look at the situation after the World Cup.”
OPINION
Whenever a player says they “need to look at the situation” it signals they are looking at other options as clearly two games in a season is not enough for the player.
Unfortunately for Gamboa, despite the number of injuries and the fact Celtic’s defence was blown apart this season, his manager still continued not to play the Costa Rican.
And with Mikael Lustig ahead of him in the pecking order and Jack Hendry also able to switch out to the right, his chances of breaking into the starting XI on a permanent basis are slim.
With one year remaining on the player’s contract, we reckon that if there are any bids for the right-back, that the Hoops will snap them up and cash in on their player instead of risk losing him for nothing in next summer.
We think that when Gamboa comes back from the World Cup, unless he plays a blinder in the tournament, it will be best for Celtic to move the full-back on.