Vidar Riseth, the former Celtic player, has told a number of the current players they are in danger of sabotaging their own next career moves given their apathetic showings so far this term.
There have been suggestions of unrest within the dressing room with a number of key players irked that they did not head elsewhere this summer. Striker Odsonne Edouard, Olivier Ntcham and Kris Ajer were all linked with moves that did not materialise and while Riseth believes the club needs to sell anyone whose heart is no longer in it, he has suggested that interested parties will have taken note of the failings of this season.
“You need to have ability as a football player but also you need to have character,” said Riseth. “If there are players who want to leave the club then go. The window will open in January and if I was the coach or in the boardroom I would be telling them to go and look elsewhere.
“The problem is that the way they have been playing I think they will be looking at another club in Scotland.
“There is not one player at Celtic this season who has done anywhere near enough to have the English Premier League or the Bundesliga or Serie A seriously contemplating a move.
“And that doesn’t come to the team playing badly all the time either. That comes down to players not taking responsibility. Playing at 70%. Walking through games with no urgency.
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“The coach can’t come onto the pitch and put in a tackle when you are allowing your opponent to walk past two of you."
And his fellow countryman, Ajer, was not immune to feeling his wrath.
“I still watch a lot of games because I consider myself a Celtic fan and I am not happy with Kristoffer right now,” he said. “If you are talking about clubs like Milan looking at you, then you need to be much stronger – in the head and on the pitch.”
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