manager: time right for jan and paul to move

David Friel
TONY MOWBRAY has officially confirmed that Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Paul Hartley will not be retained by Celtic for the coming season.

With the contracts of both players coming to an end on June 30, the Hoops manager will not be awarding new deals to the experienced duo.

Both Hartley and Vennegoor of Hesselink are now free to negotiate with other clubs and expect their future to become clearer in the coming weeks.

They have both played a leading role in Celtic’s success over the years and go with the best wishes of everyone at the club

“I’ve had a good long conversation with Paul,” said the Celtic manager. “I spoke to him on the phone and then he came in to see me.

“We had a good chat and the outcome of those chats is that Paul won’t be offered a contract. He’s free to speak to other clubs.

“The discussions were very amicable. I found Paul to be a very endearing, honourable guy. I never really knew him when he was at Hearts and I was at Hibs, but he was generally banging in goals against us.

“I found him a very nice, likeable lad when we met up, but where we are at the moment, and where he is in his career, ultimately decided that it’s best Paul gets on with his career and we move on.

“I’ve had no contact with Jan. He is also free to speak to other clubs and I’m sure that’s what he’ll be doing at the moment. The decisions on the two players will probably give me a bit more scope to bring new men in and put my stamp on things a bit more.”