‘WHY I WOULDN’T QUIT HOOPS,’ DUTCH DUD

DUTCH dud Derk Boerrigter has revealed he knocked back a cash offer of £144,000 to walk away from Celtic.

The Parkhead side were so desperate to get the winger off the books they were willing to pay three months wages up front to scrap his contract.

Boerrigter, who cost £3million when Neil Lennon bought him from Ajax in 2013, was earning £12,000-per-week and still had a year of his deal to run.

He resisted attempts to move him on and remained at the club until 2016, banking his weekly wage without kicking a ball in the first team while training with the youths.

The flop admitted: “They wanted to get rid of me, but I stayed and I say this honestly, it was because of the money.

“The salary was too good to give up and especially if you see what my club history was.

“I played football in the Jupiler League [Dutch second tier], not just for an apple and an egg, but you will not get rich from it.

“We still negotiated, Celtic wanted to give me three months’ salary, but I wanted something more and that did not materialise.

“Then I stayed and got all 12 months.”

Boerrigter scored one goal in his 26 appearances for the Hoops.