The REAL Celtic reason Liel Abada exit was green lit as fan narrative shut down despite 'out of control' situation
The winger left Celtic Park behind for a bumper move to the Major League Soccer outfit earlier this month.
Charlotte FC general manager Zoran Krneta has shut down claims that Celtic fans are to blame for Liel Abada leaving the club - as he conceded his Major League Soccer side should NOT have been able to sign the winger.
The 22-year-old winger sealed a move to the MLS earlier this month for a fee in the region of £10million only signed a new four-year deal with the Scottish Premiership champions last September. But he was left out of the matchday squad by Brendan Rodgers due to personal reasons amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Pressure intensified for the wide man with elements of the Celtic support flying flags and showing their support for Palestine while the Israel international came under pressure in his homeland. Some Israeli outlets put the blame on Celtic fans for the exit - with some going as far to claim that Abada had been subject to verbal abuse in the street.
At the time of the reports, Brendan Rodgers was quick to shut the chatter down following conversations with Abada. And Krneta has now leapt to the defence of the Celtic fans as he explained the exit to Walla - flipping the script on the Israeli media and pressure from his international teammates and manager to leave Parkhead.
Asked about the fans response to Abada, he said: "I really think Celtic fans liked him. It is clear to everyone that the situation was difficult for him with the criticism that came his way. He was not ready to deal with it and things got a little out of control."
Krneta was also honest about the deal - having previously been knocked back by the Scottish Premiership champions. He said: "We've known Liel for a long time, we approached Celtic about him already a year ago and they flatly refused.
"But in the current situation, we couldn't give up. It was a no brainer. To be honest, if it weren't for these circumstances, I don't think we would have been able to get him so easily,"