Sead Haksabanovic uses flimsy Celtic exit excuse to cry off but raging Montenegro boss cuts flop down to size

The 24-year-old sulked over a lack of playing time under Brendan Rodgers and has now set off his country.

Embattled Celtic flop Sead Haksabanovic has been skewered by his irate national team manager for returning to Glasgow rather than playing for Montenegro.

The 24-year-old sulked over a lack of playing time under Brendan Rodgers and completed a deadline day loan move to English Championship side Stoke City. He's a key player for Montenegro, who have two crucial Euro 2024 qualifiers against Lithuania and Bulgaria coming up, where he was named in the squad and looked set to add to his 33 caps.

But he's declined to play and that's not gone down well with Montenegro boss Miodrag Radulovic. He said: "Sead contacted us and said that he needs to fulfil obligations related to moving from club to club, from Scotland to England, so we cannot count on him. Let him think about this decision.

"The players show how much they care playing for our national team by the decisions they make. He's decided to put his own personal situation first. So I will only concentrate on the players that are here and who do want to play for Montenegro."

Haksabanovic won the Scottish Premiership player of the month in November 2022 but found himself a bit-part component for the Treble winners. Observers took issue with his inability to replicate eye-catching Celtic cameos in games in which he started.