Reports from Russia claim that Oliver Abildgaard’s loan deal with Celtic will be cancelled next month.
A return to Rubin Kazan seems unlikely but the midfielder could go out on another loan as Rubin hope to recover some of the £1.8m that they paid Aalborg to sign Abildgaard in 2020.
While Celtic signed Sead Haksabanovic on a five year contract the deal for Abildgaard on transfer Deadline Day was only for a loan.
Even though Callum McGregor was out injured for two months there was still fierce competition for places in the Celtic midfield with David Turnbull and Aaron Mooy battling for inclusion.
The Daily Record reports:
Celtic are set to terminate their loan deal with Rubin Kazan for forgotten Danish midfielder Oliver Abildgaard, according to reports in Russia.
The Hoops snapped up the 26-year-old on a season-long loan from the Russian club in September and became the third player to sign from there after Carl Starfelt and Sead Haksabanovic moved to Glasgow.
However, he’s yet to make any kind of impact and has failed to even start a game for Ange Postecoglou in any competition – he’s come off the bench on six occasions in the league and he also came on in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid in Celtic’s heavy defeat last month.
But he hasn’t featured since coming on for the final ten minutes in a 2-1 win at Fir Park at the start of last month. Now Russian reports have indicated that Celtic and Rubin Kazan have reached an agreement to rip up the loan deal and terminate his time in Glasgow.
However, Abildgaard – who has been capped once for Denmark two years ago – is unlikely to play again for Rubin, who he made 62 appearances before they were banned from international football.
Rubin are set to try and secure another loan deal for Abildgaard with another European club and he could even return to Danish football, after leaving Aalborg to sign for the Russians two years ago.
Mooy and Haksabanovic, who both signed after Celtic had undergone pre-season training both made some progress in the first part of the season but Abildgaard was restricted to six late appearances off the bench.
There seems little prospect of increased game time in the new year, with Tomoki Iwata expected to join Celtic it looks like the end of the road for Abildgaard, James McCarthy and Yosuke Ideguchi.
