Erik Sviatchenko opens up about Celtic exit and relationship with Brendan Rodgers

Erik Sviatchenko has opened up about his Celtic exit.

Brendan Rodgers reveals which player he wants to sign for Celtic

The centre-back will be in attendance at Parkhead when the league leaders welcome Dundee in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

The Dane joined the club in January 2016, going on to play more than 60 times, winning five trophies.

However, his time in Glasgow turned sour. After being a regular in Rodgers' first campaign he made just two appearances last season due to injuries before falling out of favour and returning to FC Midtjylland on loan, helping the side win the Danish league.

The deal became permanent in the summer.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, the 27-year-old revealed that he does not know why he fell down the pecking order and then sent out on loan at a time when Celtic had issues in the centre of defence.

"Who knows?" he said. "Maybe in two or three years' time I will sit down with Brendan for a coffee and ask what I should have done differently.

"It was difficult to go from being such a big success at a club to being effectively a nothing. I have tried with my mental coach, Rene Petersen, to close the chapter called Celtic.

"I try to tell myself: 'I had two amazing years, 60 games, played in the Champions League, won trophies and was an important member of a really good team. Some things had be closed down and I think I have done that now.

"But an explanation for why things ended as they did at the end would be nice."

Sviatchenko recognises the qualities of Rodgers but felt there was a lack of trust in him.

"Look, I respect the manager so much because he gave me so much in some ways. If I had been shown some trust, I would probably have stayed.

"I don't want people to feel sorry for me. Here we are a year later and I am back in Denmark and I have won the championship and my career is going well. But in those last couple of months when I was leaving Celtic, I would have hoped for a different kind of farewell."

He added: "My dream would be to play for Celtic again.

"But it's not up to me. It's up to the manager and the board. They know me and they know what I am capable of. I feel I didn't really say a proper goodbye to Glasgow."