The 4th Official
·1 August 2020
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·1 August 2020
According to a recent report by Glasgow Times, Ukrainian international trickster Maryan Shved is said to be the subject of interest from a variety of clubs across Belgium, Portugal and Spain. The Celtic man is reportedly desired by his former club Karpaty Lviv on another loan deal, but it has been suggested than a return to Ukraine is out of the question from a Celtic perspective. Although he said in an interview that he has no regrets in moving to Scotland, it’s safe to say that the Premiership is yet to see the best of the forward.
It has been clarified to a certain degree now that clubs across Europe are keen on signing Celtic’s Maryan Shved, but whether or not Lennon pulls the plug on this deal remains to be seen. Shved though seems to be keeping his spirits up. Speaking on the matter, he said, “I am working hard and learning so much. The coaches and manager of Celtic have told me if I keep working hard I will soon start to get minutes on the pitch for them, but it hasn’t happened yet. It was great for me to get on the pitch against Ukraine and hopefully I will get some minutes for Celtic soon too.”
The right-winger was acquired from Lviv on the back of a quite brilliant campaign in the Ukrainian top-flight. Shved managed to pick up an impressive tally of eleven goals and three assists from his 20 league appearances, while he also went on to add three goals and an assist during the playoffs as well.
Quite a tricky customer with the ball at his feet, the Ukrainian boasts an extremely low centre-of-gravity, and the ability to run around an opposition defender without breaking stride. What the Celts didn’t consider in the equation though was the forward’s sheer lack of upper-body strength – an absolute necessity to break into a top British side.
The Ukrainian arrived at Parkhead in the winter transfer window of 2019, when he joined from boyhood club Karpaty Lviv on a permanent deal. He was immediately shipped back to his former team on a loan deal that lasted until the end of the 18/19 league season. The trickster went on to link up with the Celtic side in the summer prior to the start of last season, and despite some positive words from the manager and player himself, he completely failed to have an impact.
Not only was the Ukrainian unable to deal with the physical requirements of the league, but the pace at which events transpire in the British game was also an obvious obstacle. Despite training with the first-team, Shved was unable to really make a name for himself in the side and was often seen left out of the matchday squad entirely as well. The 23-year-old made just one substitute appearance in the Premiership for Neil Lennon’s men last season, while he also featured and scored in their Champions League qualification fixture prior to the season.
Saying that the Ukrainian international has struggled to settle into life in Scotland would only be an understatement, as he hasn’t been able to bring his actual quality out onto the pitch since the move. With that said though, there’s no denying that the trickster is a naturally talented player, who given the right kind of training and nurturing, can develop into quite the force. One thing that can be said with certainty about Shved is that he’s still got a lot of potentials, and with Celtic targeting their tenth straight league title, Neil Lennon’s side should keep hold of any reinforcements they can get their hands on this season.