Chris Jullian explains one of the big mysteries of Celtic’s lockdown nightmare

Chris Jullien has given a little insight into one of the many mysteries of the disastrous 20/21 season.

Fortunately the success of Ange Postecoglou has thrown a vail over the most miserable season this century.

There is unlikely to be much of a market for it but if the inside story is ever uncovered it will make fascinating reading.

A season behind-closed-doors was the underlying factor but Celtic still managed to pack a decade worth of disasters into a 10 month period.

In pre-season Neil Lennon outed Leigh Griffiths, Boli Bolingoli awarded himself a two day holiday that resulted in two matches being postponed.

Big money signings Vasilis Barkas and Albian Ajeti made no impact, others wanted transfers with Europe a disaster since a side with no strikers were knocked out of the Champions League at home to Ferencvaros.

Dubai is worth a chapter or two all to itself. Just over a week after suffering a bad knee injury Jullian joined the ill-fated trip, returned with Covid and the knock on effect of leaving the squad decimated for two matches.

Recalling that time Jullien told the Daily Mail:

The club weren’t sure how serious the injury was and told me I could either start my rehabilitation in Glasgow or use the big gym in Dubai where the weather is good. 

Do I stay and train by myself or go with my team-mates? Of course I went! It was a no-brainer. To come back and find out I had Covid – I felt responsible and I said that to the team.

Nobody caught it from me but some players who were ruled as close contacts had to stay in the house.

After that I went back to France for my rehabilitation and I saw from afar that the coach had been fired. I thought, ‘man, I’m not even there to witness this.’

I sent him a text thanking him because he was the one who put the validation on my case for coming to Celtic. But in the end I wasn’t there to help. Oh, it was a big mess.

Jullien never played a minute of competitive football in 2021, last summer he moved to Montpellier rather than sit it out in the final year of his Celtic contract.