'It was tough' - Former Celtic midfielder rues premature departure decision

Former Celtic midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu has said he wishes he had stuck around longer at Parkhead following his short spell between 2018 and 2019.

Mulumbu rocked up in Glasgow after a successful career down South, making more than 200 appearances for West Brom, many of which came in the Premier League.

The midfield enforcer actually joined after a spell with Kilmarnock, but he struggled to establish himself under Brendan Rodgers and went on to make just one league appearances, ultimately returning to Kilmarnock on loan before heading back there on a permanent deal.

“Moving to Celtic was a dream because I had always wanted to play for an elite club competing for silverware," he told The Herald. "The dynamic was very different from Kilmarnock, though. Celtic already had established midfield leaders, Scott Brown, Callum McGregor, and Nir Bitton.

“Forcing my way into that starting lineup was difficult. We had dropped into the Europa League after missing out on Champions League qualification, but Brendan Rodgers already had a settled tactical structure and preferred starting eleven.

“It was tough to break through, but playing at Celtic Park in front of those passionate fans was a special experience. In hindsight, I feel I could and should have done more to secure regular minutes.

“Looking back, I should have shown more patience. Instead of asking to go out on loan the moment I wasn’t starting, I should have stayed, fought for my place in training, and waited for my opportunity. With hindsight, had I stayed put, I would have played far more games for Celtic.”

During Mulumbu's srugges for game time, Rodgers said: “Youssouf is at the age where he needs to play really. He came in as a support player to the team but he’s at the age really where he needs to play in the next part of the season so he’ll probably go out on loan.”

That loan spell effectively ended the midfielder's short-lived Celtic career, but he was at the back-end of his career, around 31/32 at the time, and he did really face the choice between being a bit-part player who was there to simply add some experience or go elsewhere and be a player who could still make a difference.

Which side of that debate a player falls on depends on what kind of player they are, but he certainly wouldn't have been the only one who decided to put playing time first.