FORMER Celtic defender Mikael Lustig has insisted the club showed him a lack of respect in their efforts to keep him this summer.
And he's revealed he had words with former boss Brendan Rodgers about his decision to leave the Scottish champions to move to Leicester City.
The 32-year-old won a 16 trophies at Parkhead in a successful eight-year spell with the Parkhead side. The Swedish international opted to leave this summer to forge a new career at ambitious Belgian side Gent.
And Lustig admitted for the first time he wasn't happy with the terms offered by Celtic, with only a one-year deal reportedly on the table, compared to the three years he got at Gent.
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Lustig said: "Celtic will always have a huge place in my heart, but in football, we are not always alone in deciding. They offered to keep me on and, come on, I respect the club too much to say bad things about it.
"But I gave everything to them for eight years...I was expecting a little more respect in return. My family and my ex-teammates know what happened, that's the most important thing.
"And I do not want to close this door, I want to feel good when I return to Glasgow."
Lustig, in an interview with Sport/Foot Magazine in Belgium, insists he has no regrets about moving to a relatively modest club in comparison with Celtic.
He explained: "I started chatting with Peter Verbeke, the sports director of the club, in April. Honestly, I did not know much about the club, so I did not get excited.
"I had other possibilities, I could have gone back to Sweden or play in Italy, but the more my research progressed, the more I found that Gent best suited my aspirations.
"The three-year contract they offered me was also proof that they really wanted me. And I saw that it was a great city, a great environment for my family and I wanted to put their well-being first.
"In Glasgow, I was at home. The squad were very tight, several players had been there for years, we were real friends and we even saw each other outside the club which is more and more rare these days in modern football.
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"To achieve similar at Gent, it's crucial we repeat that and are united like at Celtic."
And while Lustig relished every one of his eight league titles, he admitted it got more difficult each year - especially after the deparure of former boss Rodgers.
He said: "At Celtic, we knew at the start of every season we had a good chance of being champion, but to do it for eight years in a row wasn't easy. Every year it was more difficult.
"I truly hope Celtic will reach the ten-in-a-row with all my heart.
"For me, the most special title was last season because we won the treble for the third time in a row, which had never happened in Scotland.
"But I'm not a trophy collector - the most important thing was not the trophies but the recognition of people.
"In terms of managers, Neil Lennon persuaded me to move to Celtic so he is the most important coach for me.
"Tactically, the best was Brendan Rodgers...a true perfectionist.
"I only regret that he left the way he did. When you say you are a fan of Celtic you do not quit the club in February.
"I do not approve of his choice and he knows it."
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