A return to Celtic appears as though it was never in Filip Benkovic’s plans after the defender heard of interest from Bristol City.

The Hoops were linked with a move for the 22-year-old, with Football Insider suggesting they were one of four clubs keen on signing him on loan.

Benkovic completed a move to Bristol City however, and in an interview published on the Robins’ official website, the defender revealed he was “excited” by the prospect of moving to Ashton Gate, while he did not speak of a possible return to Celtic.

I found out about the interest from City a few weeks ago and I was really excited when I heard of the option. Now I’m here I can say I’m really grateful as I say for the opportunity.

READ CELTIC VERDICT

Prior to Sunday’s win over Hamilton, I thought Celtic had missed a trick by not making a move to re-sign Benkovic.

The Hoops appeared to need another option at the back, given how the club only had Christopher Jullien, Kristoffer Ajer and Jozo Simunovic as the three senior options.

However following a strong debut performance from Stephen Welsh against Hamilton, the club now look to be in a good position with regards to options at the back. The 20-year-old could now become the fourth senior option, while the likes of Nir Bitton and Hatem Abd Elhamed could also offer cover at centre-back.

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Furthermore, The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin revealed in a discussion with supporters following the win over Hamilton that “the club thinks they’re absolute fine at centre-back, regardless of injury.”

And given how Neil Lennon described Welsh’s display as “excellent”, the Daily Record revealed, he could now see the 20-year-old as a player who can step into a back three more often, or provide cover for Ajer and Jullien when needed.