BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton has slammed Mikael Lustig for a poor season for Celtic, claiming that the right-back made way too many errors over the course of the campaign.
Lustig, 31, was ever-present for the Bhoys as they won their second domestic treble in a row, appearing 47 times across all competitions while scoring three goals in the process.
However he attracted widespread criticism for his performances, and ex-Celtic striker Sutton believes that the senior Parkhead star must improve because Brendan Rodgers may be working on a replacement for him in the summer transfer window.
“At one end of the scale, you have Mikael Lustig. He’s been a brilliant servant to the club, but there are signs he is creaking. He made far too many mistakes and lost his consistency. That’s not good for a right back and, with a new one surely going to be signed, the Swede needs to up his game,” he said on the Daily Record website.
“At the other, Jack Hendry is just starting out in his Celtic career and he has to grasp the nettle. I’d forgive him the first five months after signing from Dundee.”
OPINION
Rodgers could really do with revamping his defence this summer. He could get away with leaving the rest of his squad untouched if he manages to bring in a new right-back, left-back and maybe a couple of centre-backs. It has been the real weak point in the Celtic squad and has been found out in big games over the last year, especially in Europe with pathetic performances against Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. Lustig’s form has not been great and while he is a cult hero at Parkhead, it should not make him immune from the axe. Rodgers should look for some serious competition for Lustig at right-back because with Cristian Gamboa so far down the pecking order, the Sweden international has got too comfortable in his role. There are some decent right-backs that could be available this summer, so Rodgers has to try and look for one who is as good as, if not better, than Lustig.