Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed Dedryck Boyata missed the trip to Lithuania to face SK Suduva due to injury and not for any other reason more dramatic than that.
It was reported earlier this evening that the defender had failed to make the trip across Europe with the rest of the squad, leading to speculation he may have again refused to play for the club like before the AEK Athens tie.
However, it appears everything is a little bit more mundane this time around.
Brendan Rodgers confirmed the injury to reporters in his pre-match press conference.
#Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers says Dedryck Boyata hasn’t travelled due to injury. Also says club have ended interest in #Aberdeen defender Scott McKenna.
— Chris McLaughlin (@BBCchrismclaug) August 22, 2018
The manager also revealed that he has held clear the air talks with the defender, including Scott Brown in the discussions. It appears that for now everything is amicable between all parties, although the manager refused to commit to saying whether the Belgian will still be here at the end of the transfer window.
Rodgers also said Boyata had clear the air talks with himself and captain Scott Brown. Wouldn’t say if the player will still be at club by end of the window. #Celtic
— Chris McLaughlin (@BBCchrismclaug) August 22, 2018
The last thing the club needed right now was to be dragged into another dramatic few days of headlines. There’s a crucial tie to win against Suduva and after getting back to winning ways at the weekend, hopefully we can move forward into the new season without any more controversy.
Do you think Dedryck Boyata will still be at Celtic in September? Share your thoughts in the comments below…