Deila clarifies Blackett situation amid confusion

The confusion surrounding Tyler Blackett’s future at Celtic has been clarified by manager Ronny Deila.

Blackett was reportedly returning to Manchester United this month to help Louis Van Gaal cope with his own defensive injury crisis.

However, Deila’s latest comments suggest that the 21-year-old defender will remain at Celtic until May, as agreed back in August when he joined.

The centre-back, who can also play left-back, hasn’t featured for the Celtic first-team since the home tie against Molde in the Europa League meaning a move back down south would make sense.

He struggled in the game after replacing Jozo Simunovic who went off with an ankle injury and was replaced by Nadir Ciftci with 20 minutes remaining in the game.

But the England international lined out for Celtic’s development squad yesterday in their 4-1 win over Hamilton Academical, leaving many questioning the logistics of him being stuck in the youth squad.

As quoted by the Glasgow Evening Times, Deila said:

Tyler is still here. He has not been recalled by Manchester United. We haven’t heard anything about him going back to Manchester United.

Blackett has made seven first-team appearances this year for Celtic including four starts in the Hoops jersey.