Strachan praises trialist Degen

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan says Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder David Degen made a positive impact during his trial in Glasgow.

The 24-year-old Switzerland international was criticised by Borussia coach Jos Luhukay for being a disruptive influence on team-mates.
But Strachan said: "We will have to sit down and talk about it but the first person to know about it will be David.
"I think he has enjoyed his few days here and we liked what we have seen."
Degen will await news of Strachan's decision in Germany.
"He's away back to his club," said the Celtic manager. "It's good that he can come to see us and we can see him and get to know what we are dealing with.
"It's better that than making a rash decision at the end of July."
Celtic is a massive club with a great tradition and I'm interested in joining



David Degen


Degen was told to find a new club after just one year of a three-year contract following Borussia's relegation from the Bundesliga.
The former Basel player was delighted with his treatment by Strachan, who is in the recovery stages following a hip operation.
"The welcome I got from Celtic was extraordinary," Degen told the Daily Record.
"The manager is injured, but he still came to see me to say hello.
"This felt outstanding. I'd never been treated that way before.
"Celtic is a massive club with a great tradition and, of course, I'm interested in joining."
Luhukay, who took charge of Borussia in March, last week ordered Degen to train with the club's under-23 side.
"He was lacking concentration, unprofessional and a nuisance factor," the coach was reported as saying.
"He did not show the attitude which you would expect.
"His head has been switched off Borussia and therefore he will train with the under-23 side for the next one-and-a-half weeks, but he will not play. "His time has run out. He can go if the conditions are correct."



He any good?

 

What position does he play but all wikapedia says is how many apps and goals he has and he doesn't have alot of goals but quite a few apps.

 

think hes a left winger ,, skillfull with pace

 

We could do wit ha new left winger as i dont think mcGeady can do it in long periods

 

thats why we have riordan??
but....i have heard good reports about this boy ....he is supposed to be a 'poor mans' ronaldo! very skillfull/direct and with very quick feet.

 

I dont want to see riordan on the left wing but upfront GS should be maknig him paly upfront as its a better postion for him IMO so we can use this lad for left wing

 

Deeks again said on an interview on Celtic TV tonight that he wants to play up front playing off a big guy like JVOH. He was clear he does not want to play in a position with major defensive duties i.e. midfield. All that stuff about Deeks not wanting to play up front was rubbish. I reckon if he got a run of 5 or 6 back to back games up front he would shine. Great football brain and technique.

 

If strachan is praisinmg this lad he must be good he must know that this guy is better than mcgeady.

 

CelticTV? All players are 'coached" in what questions are asked and how they will answer them. I wouldnt call them real interviews

 

Sorry never heard of him but if he fits into wgs plans and he is going to make us stronger why not maybe aidan needs a bit of comp

 

Well, he directly contradicted WGSs recent statements about his preffered position and also called Brown an 'annoying player'-not exactly coached diplomatic core stuff. I doubt Deeks is the sort who would let someone tell him what to say-he seems to have a major rebel streak.

 

One of Aidans problems is he is just not ready to play every game yet and has been fast tracked since Shaun left. You can now see why WGS always picked Shaun ahead of Aidan when both were fit. Aidan seems to do a lot better coming on as a sub. I think we badly need competition for the winger slots and we are threadbare in terms of backup in that area (Deeks is not a winger). Guys in the reserves like Conroy are not of the high standard required and Maloney type players are very rare. So, if this Degan guy is good I would be delighted if we sign him.

 

Sounds as if this lad might have something, it's not usually the case that the manager comes out and says anything at all about a trialist, never mind praising him. If the right terms are agreed then i'd say go for it, we have * all to lose.

A lot of people seem to be writing off McGeady these days, even talking about the left wing position as if the guy isn't even here. At the start of this season McGeady was on brilliant form for a good few months. Yes he's faded recently but let's be honest, who hasn't? Every player comes back from pre-season with a renewed determination and Aiden will be no different, the difference is he has far more talent than most so he's goanny come back an even more improved player than he did this season.

He's goanny be a top top player so i just want every one of you to remember that before you start writing him off.

 

I remember that too. GS called Deeks the most natural finisher at Celtic. I wonder where GS would prefer to play him (in that article i think he said where he thinks Deeks likes to play).

Deeks plays like a left forward of a 4-3-3 sometimes rather than where he's put i.e. a striker or a left midfielder