CLUJ have been rocked ahead of their Champions League showdown with Celtic after star striker and former Hoops trialist George Tucudean revealed he could retire from football because of a heart defect.
Neil Lennon's side travel to Romania this week brimming with confidence ahead of their 7-0 hammering of St Johnstone.
Dan Petrescu's side are also upbeat after recovering from a goal down to win their weekend league match 4-1 against Chindia Targoviste.
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But they were stunned after Romanian international Tucudean - who had a trial at Celtic as a 15-year-old - revealed he is considering his future and the showdown with the Hoops could be his football swansong, after the 28-year-old missed the qualifiers against Astana because of a minor heart procedure.
He said: "I'm thinking about my future. I could retire. It's not like a knee injury or something, it's a heart problem.
"I had to go to Austria last month for minimally invasive heart surgery and I missed some games.
"Doctors have assured me I am safe and nothing will happen and I believe I am back at the same level of fitness as everyone else, but obviously it's going to be difficult for me.
"I am hoping to play in Glasgow against Celtic because I spent some time there on trial when I was 15.
"I stayed with a family in Scotland, but decided to come back home. A team mate of mine stayed on.
"When in Scotland, I trained with some very famous Celtic players like Shunsuke Nakamura, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Artur Boruc and Massimo Donati.
"I went to Celtic's game against Barcelona when they were 60,000 fans who made an incredible atmosphere.
"These are the matches that you want to be a part of when you are a player and you want to give everything.
"We are playing well and scoring goals so there is no reason why we cannot qualify."
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