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Mikael Lustig phenomenal, says Celtic boss Neil Lennon

Mikael Lustig has lost his place at right-back to Jeremy Toljan
Image: Mikael Lustig leaves Celtic after his contract expired

Mikael Lustig will leave Celtic after seven and a half years at the club after his contract expired and he chose to call time on his stay in Glasgow.

Neil Lennon revealed it was Lustig's choice to leave the Hoops after amassing 276 appearances and eight league titles, four Scottish Cup medals and four League Cup wins for the club.

The manager who signed Lustig in his first spell at Parkhead said: "I was delighted to bring Mika to Celtic and he
has been phenomenal for me and the club.

"Mika has chosen to move elsewhere, but that is absolutely his right, these things happen, but it will not in any way take away from what he has achieved at Celtic.

"I wish Mika nothing but success for the future, he has been a brilliant servant to the club and has made a massive contribution to everything we have achieved across so many years.

"It has been a privilege to work with Mika. A top international player, he always gave everything for the team, he gave his heart and soul to every performance and I loved having him on my side.

The 32-year-old right-back had showed signs of frustration about contract talks with Celtic whilst on international duty with Sweden.

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He said: "I am proud of how I have handled the situation and those closest to me, the players and the leaders at Celtic know what has happened. It could have been handled differently, in terms of what has been said and what happened."

Lustig celebrates scoring for Celtic at Aberdeen
Image: Lustig made 42 appearances for Celtic last season, scoring twice

However, since departing Lustig placed his thanks to the Celtic faithful in an emotional Instagram post.

He said: "I had no idea how much this club and everything that comes with it would mean to me when I signed 7.5 years ago. It's time for me and my family to move on, start a new chapter in life."

"To make a post on Instagram isn't enough to express my feelings and thoughts about the situation. I wish I would've had the chance to get a proper goodbye.

"I just want to say thank you to everyone I've had the honour to meet and work with at Celtic, all the players and staff. The memories will stay with me forever.

"Thank you to all of you that made Glasgow feel like home for me and my family for so many years. I will never forget your support. Hopefully I'll see you all soon. I'll definitely be back for the 10 in a row party!"

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell added: "Mika has been a huge part of Celtic over so many years and I am sure all our fans, as well as thanking him, will wish him well in everything he does in the future.

"His appearances and trophy count at Celtic and the number of international caps he has achieved, demonstrate exactly the level of player Mika has been consistently over a long period of time.

"Everyone at the club sends their best wishes to both Mika and his family and we hope they enjoy a very successful future."

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