Tomas Cvancara found the net from the spot at the weekend against Motherwell to record his second goal of the season for Celtic, and he may have been hoping that he would get picked for the Czech Republic national team. However, any potential hopes have been snuffed out, with his national manager hitting out at a previous comment he made.
Cvancara has made it clear from the start that he is aiming for a permanent transfer to the Hoops. He is currently on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach until the end of the season, with an option to buy included, but as things stand, it seems unlikely that the Glasgow side would trigger the clause.
During that initial interview, he mentioned that domestic football was his priority:
"[Playing for the national team] would be an honour, but to be honest, it’s not my goal for the future. I would say I want to focus more on the club."
This comment clearly offended the national manager, who snubbed him from the squad. Alongside leaving him out, he also hit out at the striker, saying:
"We considered what awaits us and what mentality is suitable for this game. Cvancara expressed himself that the national team is not a priority for him. As a coach, I say that it is not a priority for me to take a player for whom the national team is not a priority."
Unlucky for Cvancara
It's unlucky for Cvancara that his comments seem to have irked the manager. Any hopes of getting in the team soon appear to have been snuffed out, but at least that means he can do what he said he was going to do and focus on Celtic.
With the striker grabbing his second goal after stealing the ball from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to take the penalty at the weekend, fans will be hoping he can now find his form. He has struggled since joining the Celts, but if there's one thing we know in football, it is to never rule a player out, even when things look bad.
There is still plenty of time to go from now until the end of the season for him to start bagging goals regularly, and hopefully, he can become a goalscoring regular. He appears to be one of the most promising strikers currently at the club, with the other options of Kelechi Iheanacho and Junior Adamu lacking that edge.
Hopefully, he can help Celtic out in the title race, and who knows, maybe he will win that transfer he is looking for.