According to the latest reports from the Daily Record, Brendan Rodgers has revealed that he is ready to send Filip Benkovic on another loan spell at Parkhead. Celtic signed him on a season-long loan in the summer of 2018 when Brendan Rodgers was still at the helm of the Scottish club.
However, the tables turned in February, and the Northern Irish manager headed to Leicester City, the parent club of Benkovic. Maybe in a bid to win back some Celtic fans, Rodgers might be willing to send the Croatian centre back on another loan spell.
What did Rodgers say?
It’s still not guaranteed though as Rodgers insisted that he needs to talk with the player, but he gave a clear indication that a move to Celtic could be on the cards. The Foxes boss said, ”Filip’s situation is one I’ll certainly look at. But there’s no doubt that if I want him to go out on loan again, I’d want him to go to Celtic.”
”Of course, I’ll have a conversation with the player, and I think he’s a big talent. But we’ve got four really good centre-backs here with big experience in Jonny Evans, Harry Maguire, Wes Morgan and Caglar Soyuncu. Filip is a top class young player, but if he goes on loan again, I’d love him to return to Celtic.”
Massive boost for Celtic
This should come as an enormous boost for the Hoops as it was understood that the 21-year-old would return to Leicester after an impressive loan spell. However, it seems like Rodgers is satisfied with the defensive options which he has at the King Power Stadium.
We for one think that Benkovic is ready to take on the challenges of the Premier League, but if Celtic can eke out another year from the dominant centre back, then they shouldn’t be complaining. The Bhoys will have a tough summer transfer window ahead as they will need to replace quite a few outgoing players. Amidst that, if they get Benkovic for another season, then they would be relieved as they are already going to lose Dedryck Boyata.
Benkovic might not have played much during the second half of the season due to injuries, but he showed that he could be a force to reckon with at the back. The 21-year-old is a complete modern day full back as the Croatian shows dominance in terms of physicality, reading the game and playing out from the back. Celtic should try to get him on another loan spell after Rodgers indicated that he could be open to the move.
