Celtic manager Ronny Deila says he must see an improvement in Charlie Mulgrew’s fitness before talks can begin concerning his contract extension.

The 29-year-old Scottish international hasn’t been as influential on the squad as in previous years season and has struggled with a series of injuries leading to uncertainty over his first team place.

Now entering the final six months of his contract with Celtic, Delia has now challenged him to prove his fitness and worth to the club in order to earn a new contract.

Mulgrew has been sidelined with a thigh injury since September making just nine appearances for Celtic, scoring two goals against Stjaranan in the Champions League qualifiers and St Johnstone in the league.

He made his comeback against Ajax in the Europa League in late November, only to suffer a similar injury and led to him walking down the tunnel with several minutes remaining in the game.

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As quoted by the Daily Mail, Deila said:

The most important thing is getting him injury free and then we will see what’s happening. Charlie will be thinking the same, he wants to get back to top shape to be as good as he can be.

The Celtic boss also wants James Forrest and Tom Rogic to sign extensions on their contracts in the coming weeks.

With negotiations currently ongoing between the club and their respective agents, as Forrest’s deal is due to expire this summer and Rogic has just under 18-months left.

We are going to meet this month and things are going forward with Jamesie. Rogic is still going on as well, hopefully we can get a deal done.