DEILA’S PLEA TO TEENAGE DEFENDER

RONNY DEILA has urged Jason Denayer to extend his stay at Celtic rather than miss valuable game time by returning to Manchester City.

The Belgian centre-half has indicated he will return to the Etihad outfit when his loan period expires at the end of the season.

But Deila insists he will keep an eye on Denayer’s position and will leave the door open for the 19-year-old defender if he fails to break into the City first team.

The Hoops boss said: “Jason has had a good year here and I still think he should stay here for at least half a year.

“Hopefully, we can go through the Champions League qualification and he can be part of that.

“To take him away and have him sitting on the bench at Manchester City would not be good for his career.

“I talk with Jason a lot, but it’s not just about us and him, it’s about what Manchester City think, also.

“He will go back there for pre-season, but we will see what us possible after that, if we can do something.

“If he does well down there and starts playing at City it will be tough to get him back.

“He will try to do that and you never know what could happen, but if you’re in a good place and are developing all the time, then it’s important to appreciate that and not go somewhere else and sit on the bench again.

“Money is not the important thing and Jason doesn’t think like that.

“To develop, to play and get the experience is the most important thing for him.”