MARTIN O’NEILL has admitted he cannot make promises to £4.5million misfit Michel-Ange Balikwisha with the season barely underway.
The DR Congo international winger arrived at the champions from Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp just under 12 months ago on a five-year contract.
Balikwisha has failed to feature in the three wins over Dundee (1-0), Kilmarnock (5-1) and Dundee United (4-0) and there is little chance of the fans getting a glimpse of the player in the first leg of the Champions League Play-Off against Austria’s LASK at Parkhead tomorrow night.
ON THE MOVE…Michel-Ange Balikwisha during his debut in the 0-0 draw at Ibrox in August.
The 25-year-old wide Bhoy played for 67 minutes in the 2-0 Scottish Cup victory over non-league part-timers Auchinleck Talbot in the Scottish Cup opener at Rugby Park on January 18.
And hasn’t been seen since in competitive action.
Balikwisha made a mere four starts in his 14 sporadic outings in his debut campaign. His last league appearance came in the 4-0 home win over Falkirk on October 29 last year in O’Neill’s first stint as interim manager.
He replaced James Forrest just after the hour mark and didn’t figure in another Premiership encounter.
Discussing transfer speculation surrounding the player, O’Neill, speaking to the Scottish Sun, revealed: “There has been interest, nothing that Balikwisha will be wanting to do at this moment.
“I am hoping that at some stage or another, if nothing materialises, he would get opportunities.
“But I cannot promise that.
NOW YOU SEE ME…Michel-Ange Balikwisha makes his final first-team appearance of the season in Celtic’s 2-0 Scottish Cup win over Auchinleck Talbot at Rugby Park in January.
“I said to him in my first spell that the next manager coming in might want him. And then he was disappointed when the next manager was me.”
There appears to be no road back for the forward who arrived with so much promise, but has failed to deliver.
This could be another long season in the shadows for Balikwisha.
WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? Celtic Confidential is the stunning book that brings the exclusive inside stories behind the headlines. Who was the tycoon who would have ruined Celtic? What really happened the night Kenny Dalglish quit the club? The real story behind Mo Johnston’s sensational move to Ibrox. All is revealed in Alex Gordon’s sixteenth Celtic book which is available NOW. Order a copy and get £5 OFF the cover price of £25. Just click SHOP HERE and your book will be on its way. Enjoy the revelations!
