Marian Shved in Mechelen mishap as Celtic misfit on the sidelines after 2500km scramble
The winger headed off to Ukraine during the international break but then had flight problems on his return.
by Liam Bryce, https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/authors/liam-bryce/On-loan Celtic winger Marian Shved missed Mechelen's weekend clash after being forced into a desperate scramble back to Belgium.
Club boss Wouter Vrancken revealed he allowed the 23-year-old to return to the Ukraine during the international break but he faced a nightmare attempting to return.
Vrancken says Shved was unable to get a flight back and was forced to take a car.
He was then left out of Mechelen's 1-0 defeat to Oostende on Saturday following the 2500km trek across the continent.
Celtic FC news
- Shane Duffy fired Celtic warning
- Lennon reveals half-time rocket
- Lennon on Goodwin row
- Duffy makes 'big three' prediction
Vrancken admitted: “His flight was fully booked so he had to take the car to Belgium. He only arrived last night.”
Shved completed a season-long loan switch to the Belgian Pro League side back in August after failing to force his way into Neil Lennon's plans at Celtic.
He's managed only 24 minutes in Mechelen's first three league games but Vrancken previously insisted he was thrilled to have him on-board.
He said last month: “Let’s be honest here, Marian Shved is an outstanding talent who would not normally choose to play for a club like Mechelen.
“But because he hardly played at all last season, he wants to relaunch his career with us. He will bring us a real injection of quality to this club.
“He’s a shy guy and we are going to have to take him under our wing a bit, but he will soon get to know his new team mates. He will need time though because he’s barely played at all last season and was training on his own.
“But I can immediately see that the boy can play, he can speed up play when needed or hold onto the ball.
“He’s an excellent addition to the squad and we are lucky to have him.”
Shved was signed during Brendan Rodgers' reign at the club but never played under him, instead arriving during the summer following the manager's departure.
However, he's since managed only three appearances for the Premiership champions.