Celtic left-back Andrew Gutman has confirmed that he will be joining FC Cincinnati on loan this season.
The American defender made the announcement via a post to his personal Twitter account on Saturday, also confirming that he has extended his contract with his parent club.
The 22-year-old signed for the Hoops in January, and will spend until the end of the 2020 MLS season in Ohio.
Delighted to extend my contract with @CelticFC and complete a loan move to @fccincinnati Special thanks to my guy @RichardMotzkin for always having my back and making this happen. I’m excited to get started and looking forward to meeting everyone! https://t.co/gAkrZwu1rJ
— Andrew Gutman (@_andrewgutman_) August 3, 2019
Tif Tactics – Is this a good move for Celtic?
In a word, yes.
The reality of the situation is that Gutman would probably be nowhere near the first team this season, so it makes a lot of sense to ship him out on loan to gain some vital experience.
A return to the MLS seems like a smart idea for a player his age, and in that comfortable environment, buoyed by the knowledge that he has a new contract waiting for him back in Scotland, you would hope that he would be able to turn those positives into a confident and effective period of development.
What next for Gutman?
The left-back could still have a future at Celtic, and the fact that he has been given a decent length contract shows that the Glasgow giants clearly think he has the potential to kick on and be a player for them in the future.
You can understand that, to be fair. Gutman is an exciting and expansive full-back who likes to roam and who managed to hit three goals in 14 appearances during his loan spell with Charlotte Independence last season.
The only thing you would say is that he is going away for a very long time.
The MLS 2020 season won’t finish until December, by which time Gutman will have been back in his home country for 17 months.
It’s not impossible to see something changing in his circumstances between now and then.