Brendan Rodgers is ready to pick Dedryck Boyata again for Celtic- provided that he apologises to his team-mates for missing the Champions League qualifier with AEK Athens.
Last Friday the player missed training with his agent, Jacques Lichtenstein visiting Lennoxtown to demand a meeting with the Celtic manager after a transfer to Fulham was rejected by the club.
The situation quickly escalated with Boyata posting a video of his injury treatment as Celtic travelled to Greece on Champions League duty.
Interviewed before the match in Athens Rodgers stated that the defender was fit with former Celtic players Chris Sutton, John Hartson and Stan Petrov highly critical of a player ducking out of duty.
After today’s 3-1 win away to Partick Thistle Rodgers was asked about how talks had gone with Boyata.
BR: “I had a long chat with Dedryck, we’ve put a bit of distance between what happened last week. We will look at it over the course of the weekend and next week.
If Dedryck is still a Celtic player then of course I want to have him involved. He has been with us for a couple of years, I know that he is a good guy. Everyone makes mistakes, but I also think that if there is a mistake made. I know it’s sometimes not the way in modern life but people need a chance to redeem themselves.
If it’s a case, of course I would like to have him involved, he is a top class player
QUESTION: Has he apologised for what has happened?
BR: Whatever has been said obviously is internal, but of course before anyone rejoins the group that would always have to be the case.
I think if you take it, when he joins the group that will be the case
QUESTION: Will the group accept him back in?
BR: They will, because they are an honest group, this is the joy that I have of working with them every single day. They are winners, we want to win, we are always demanding, they are also a very honest group and a very humble group.
Of course last week we wanted players, and some of our players weren’t available to play because of numbers of reasons.
But this is a group is still very much together, the spirit is very strong, a collective and that is something that we will continue to have going forward.
QUESTION: Is there a chance that he could be involved next week?
BR: Yeah, absolutely. Like I say it was raw last week for everyone. For him, the team, the supporters. I’ve been in the situation before and it worked out ok, so I’m pretty sure this will as well.