Former Celtic man hails time at the club despite flopping

Looking ahead to Scotland’s vital qualifier against Serbia, the former Celtic forward has been talking about the impact some of his previous teammates could have on the tie.

It’s been a while since he played for Celtic but Stefan Scepovic told the Daily Record his time in the Hoops was unforgettable. That’s nice to hear as many fans might have already forgotten him. The Serbian promised a lot but delivered little of note on the pitch.

Reading the Record article was interesting to position this in time with his references to those he played alongside. It has now been six years since Scepovic joined Celtic from Sporting Gijon for £2.4m.

He exited on a loan to Getafe about a year later, with his time in the Hoops producing just 19 appearances and 4 goals. He has played around Europe with a few clubs since then and now plays for Japanese club Machida Zelvia.

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Looking back he recalls the Scottish trio of Leigh Griffiths, Callum McGregor and Stuart Armstrong all being at Celtic when he was there. While all three left positive impressions on him, when talking about them from a Serbian perspective, it’s Griffiths who causes most concern for the upcoming qualifier:

"“My time at Celtic was a wonderful, unforgettable experience. All around me were good players and they are a huge club.“I had Leigh Griffiths, Callum McGregor and Stuart Armstrong as team mates at Celtic and they are all in the current Scotland squad.“Griffiths is always looking for the ball. He can find space and is extremely gifted with a ferocious shot.“He’s not that tall, but he has a spring when he jumps and his reflexes are exceptional. He’s Scotland’s most dangerous player for me.“Callum McGregor was only a kid when I was there, but I still remember him as being very comfortable on the ball and is good at reading a game.“Stuart Armstrong arrived from Dundee United when I was there. He’s a hard worker. He gets up and down the pitch. He is technically very good. It’s no surprise to me to see him doing so well in the English Premier League with Southampton.”"

Looking back it’s hard to understand how a time when he struggled to get games and goals is one to be described as wonderful and unforgettable. It’s cruel perhaps, but most fans will have labelled him as either ‘forgotten’ or ‘forgettable’. Perhaps though it was just the experience of being at probably the biggest club he has or will ever play at, alongside top players.

He hints at that by referencing Virgil Van Dijk who was there at the same time and talks of him being an amazing footballer.

Getting back to the qualifier, Scepovic is confident Serbia can win though he is wary of a determined Scotland spirit and of the threat that his former Celtic teammates can bring.