Celtic manager Neil Lennon has confirmed he is to hold crunch talks with veteran defender Mikael Lustig over his future at the club.
The full back has a contract which is set to expire at the end of the season, allowing him to depart Parkhead on a free transfer, although the Scottish Sun are reporting that the club have a clause which could see it extended by 12 months.
Speaking of the 32-year-old, Lennon admitted he still viewed the 32-year-old as crucial to the side and that he would discuss the future with him.
He told the Scottish Sun: “We’ll sit down and discuss things. Guys like him, Scott Brown and James Forrest are important players. I’m not writing off Mikael. I know what he’s capable of and I know what a player he is.
“What Mikael has done for the last seven or eight years is play non-stop football, whether it be 40 or 50 games a season, European qualifiers, World Cup qualifiers, cup finals. He’s played every game possible and eventually the fatigue or stiffness or whatever you want to call it creeps in.
“But he’s been a top player for this club and for his country and he’s still got plenty to offer Celtic.”
Opinion
Lustig is a dedicated servant to the Hoops but it seemed as though his career at Celtic Park was petering out this season. The arrival of Jeremy Toljan on loan had limited his playing time somewhat but it looks as though the experienced star has had a new lease of life in recent weeks, performing at the top of his game. As Lennon says, experience is absolutely vital, especially with so many young players among the squad at Parkhead and even if the likes of Lustig and Scott Brown are not playing regularly, their presence in and around the training ground is vital to help guide the next generation of talents to the standards that are expected at the Bhoys. It would be a waste were the club not to trigger the reported extension and let him leave for nothing, for he definitely has more to offer the club he has served so long – both on and off the pitch.