Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton feels Dedryck Boyata shouldn’t be forgiven for his recent off-the-field spat with the club, feeling that his actions have irreparably damaged his position at the Hoops.
Speaking to BBC 5 Live, Sutton couldn’t be clearer on his Boyata stance, which you can hear in the video below.
"Celtic jerseys are not for second best, they don't shrink to fit inferior players."@chris_sutton73 uses the words of the great Jock Stein as he reflects on the situation surrounding Dedryck Boyata at #CelticFC 👇#BBC606 pic.twitter.com/KcgPssZngU
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) August 26, 2018
Almost everyone is familiar with the Boyata saga by now – Fulham made an offer to sign him, Celtic refused and the player’s agent went mouthing off in the press about broken promises.
The whole thing culminated in the Belgian declaring himself unfit for two crucial European ties leaving Hoops fans fuming, and rightly so.
The Green Brigade unveiled a banner in opposition to the player prior to Sunday’s clash with Hamilton which has been divisive to say the least.
What’s clear now though is that it’s time to move on. Both Brendan Rodgers and his teammates are now backing the defender’s return to first-team action and given they are the people responsible for delivering results, they have to be trusted by the supporters.
Obviously Sutton is entitled to his opinion and as a pundit offers a whole range of talking points, but in this instance he is wrong and his comments are unhelpful to the situation.
Whether Boyata is sold before the end of the window or stays beyond that remains to be seen.
If he does leave then none of this really matters very much and if he ends up staying then he will likely be our best defender.
The point has been made by the manager and the supporters that he was out of order, but in both scenarios it makes little sense to hold on to a grudge and continue to punish him for his mistakes.
Are you ready to forgive Dedryck Boyata? Have your say in the comments below…