Vasilis Barkas in defiant Celtic flop stance as he insists 'I don't have to prove myself' while Parkhead return looms

Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas insists he doesn't feel like he has to prove anything as he prepares to return to Parkhead from his loan at Utrecht.

Barkas failed to find form at Celtic after his big money £4.5million move from AEK Athens in 2020 and was quickly replaced by Joe Hart as number one after Ange Postecoglou's arrival in Glasgow's east end. Scott Bain and Benjamin Siegrist are ahead of Barkas in the pecking order leading to Barkas being shipped out to the Eredivise temporarily, but the Dutch side have admitted they won't be able to afford the transfer fee to make the deal permanent this summer.

The Greece international has kickstarted his career in the Netherlands by becoming the undisputed Utrecht number one after his Scottish Premiership nightmare. However, as prepares to return to Glasgow's east end he was quizzed on how he managed to shake off the negativity over his form.

He told Voetbal International: "My behaviour was very normal. I know what I can do and I don't have to prove myself. Only at the weekend (during games), not on the training field. Everything revolves around your mind. That's how I used to be."

Teammate Tasos Douvikas also offered a defence of his teammate - insisting he can't remember a single blunder from the stopper this term after being branded a flop at Celtic. The striker said: “Vasilis knows what he is doing. He has saved us several times this season. I can't remember one blunder. Not one! He's incredibly consistent. We feel safe with him on target. Maybe he is too good for FC Utrecht.”

READ NEXT