CELTIC star Sead Haksabanovic is at the centre of a club and country mystery.
The Hoops attacker, who came on as a second-half substitute in the champions’ 2-1 win over Motherwell at Fir Park last night, has been included in Montenegro’s international squad for the forthcoming friendlies against Slovakia and Slovenia.
Haksabanovic is due to catch up with his national team colleagues on Monday for training as they prepare for the double-header, according to a local media source.
HAPPY DAZE…Sead Haksabanovic has had plenty to celebrate since moving to Celtic in the summer.
Ange Postecoglou, of course, made his players unavailable for Scotland’s friendly in Turkey on Wednesday and insisted his priorities lay with the club and it would be more beneficial for his players who will not be representing their countires in te World Cup to travel to Australia for the Sydney Super Cup.
The champions are due to play the local side a week today and Everton three days later with the unusual kick-off time of 3.45am UK time.
That denied international gaffer Steve Clarke the opportunity of bringing in the likes of Anthony Ralston, Greg Taylor, David Turnbull and James Forrest to his pool to face the Turks.
Postecoglou will be without Josip Juranovic (Croatia), Cameron Carter-Vickers (US), Aaron Mooy (Australia) and Daizen Maeda (Japan) who will be representing their nations in Qatar from November 20 to December 18.
Celtic are likely to adopt the same hardline stance with Montenegro’s Haksabanovic as they have with Giorgos Giakoumakis (Greece), Liel Abada (Israel) and Carl Starfelt (Sweden) with all four nations preparing for international friendlies over the next couple of weeks.
A WORD IN YOUR EAR…referee Willie Collum has something to say to Sead Haksabanovic.
It could be a mere administrative error to include the 23-year-old forward, who joined the Parkhead club in the summer in a £1.7million switch from Rubin Kazan, in the squad for the games against Slovakia a week today and Slovenia three days later.
Head coach Miodrag Radulovic has insisted he will play his strongest teams in both of the challenge matches and, in a report in the Scottish Sun, said: “We want to use these last two games of the year as important matches for us as we prepare for the Euros qualifiers.
“We are playing two very good opponents and we have named a strong squad.”
Sweden-born Haksabanovic, 23, has won 29 caps for his adopted country and scored one goal against Belarus in a friendly three years ago.
It’s hardly likely he will add to either total over the next fortnight or so.
