Former Celtic loanee Moritz Jenz admits he endured a "difficult" spell at Parkhead before his spell was cut short and he was sent to Schalke.
The German defender spent the first half of the season on-loan in the Scottish Premiership from Lorient but his time in Glasgow's east end was cut short with game time dwindling for the 23-year-old. The deal was meant to be for the season, with and option to buy, and after a bright start and featuring in the Champions League group stage Ange Postecoglou appeared to be keen on Jenz.
However, the return of Carl Starfelt from injury to partner Cameron Carter-Vickers at centre-back saw first-team chances limited, with his final Celtic appearance coming back in November when he limped off in the victory over Ross County. The January arrival of centre-back Yuki Kobayashi proved to the final straw for Jenz and his time at Celtic, and he was swiftly moved to the Bundesliga side after his return to France.
Jenz has started all three games since arriving at Schalke, and helped them to a trio of clean sheets as the look to climb off the foot of the table. He has now reflected on his time in Scotland, admitting things fell apart quickly despite his early Parkhead promise.
Speaking to German outlet Bild, Jenz said: “In the beginning things went great. I've always played and was a regular player in the Champions League. We were leaders in the league.
"But there are moments when a coach chooses other players to play. Then it got difficult for me. Celtic had a purchase option for the coming summer, and from Lorient's point of view it was becoming increasingly unrealistic that this would be drawn. It was also my clear wish to change clubs.”
Jenz has now put his full focus on earning a permanent transfer to Schalke. He stated: "If I for If I could play this club for more years, that would be awesome for me. It's a huge motivation for me to do it. I really want it to work. If you're loaned out twice during a season, you have to have balls."
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