SO SAD;Matthew Anderson leaves Celtic, signing three-year deal with Belgian side

As Celtic welcome a new signing to the club in the shape of Benjamin Nygren, it appears, a promising youngster is heading for the exit..

Newsquest’s Celtic Way site is reporting today that another one of Celtic’s own is heading off in search of first-team football, as highly-rated left-back Matthew Anderson looks to be heading to Belgian outfit KV Kortrijk.

According to the report, the 21-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the West Flanders side after completing his medical earlier this week, bringing his time at Celtic to an end. And from my own point of view that’s a bit of a shame because I did like the look of him and hoped he might be given an opportunity to act as Kieran Tierney’s understudy, if or almost certainly when Greg Taylor moves on officially.

Anderson, a Scotland U21 international and former B Team captain, has spent the last two seasons developing abroad with Admira Wacker, the Austrian partner club where he became an big part of a side that came close to promotion last season.

Back home, however, a breakthrough into Celtic’s first team never quite materialised. Despite a promising pre-season in the States last summer—where he faced up to DC United, Manchester City and Chelsea—Anderson remained on the fringes under Brendan Rodgers, who will know better than any of us what it takes to cut it as a first team player.

Now, with Kieran Tierney returning, and undoubtedly first pick at left back, the decision it seems has been made by club and player to move on.

Kortrijk suffered relegation from Belgium’s top flight last term, but they have a new boss, Michiel Jonckheere, in the dugout and it seems some serious ambition off the park.