Erik Sviatchenko has revealed he is gutted not to have been establish a partnership with Croatian stopper Jozo Simunovic just yet.

The 21-year-old is facing a fight to be fight for the UEFA Champions League qualifiers this summer and has not kicked a ball for the Hoops since the end of January.

A knee injury was complicated by the fact that surgery was later deemed to be necessary to correct the problem and Simunovic, who cost the club in excess of £5m last summer, is not fighting to be fit for the start of the season.

And Sviatchenko is desperate to get the chance to play alongside the Croatian.

“I have seen a lot of Jozo on some of the videos of games we have seen and I saw him in training before he broke down again,” he said. “It was such a shame for him when he was told that he needed to have an operation.

“I think he thought that he would have been back to play before the end of the season and when that happens, that you get yourself ready to play again mentally but then realise it is not going to happen, it is very tough.

“It has happened to me in my career before. It takes a lot of mental strength to get through that and come out at the other side, but I really hope that Jozo will be fit for the start of the season.”

And the Danish defender believes that he and Simunovic could form the defensive pairing under Brendan Rodgers this season.

“It is disappointing for me that I have not has the chance to play alongside him yet since I came to the club,” he said. “But I think that together we could form a very strong defence.

“Obviously we have a lot of very talented players at the club and some very good defenders. But Jozo is a young player who is very strong on the ball, very comfortable and I do hope that at the start of the season we are able to work together.

“When you are able to play with the same players at the back you get very comfortable and consistent. I think it helps the team when you are playing with a settled defence because everyone gets to know and understand the

Sviatchenko was one of the last signings of Ronny Deila’s reign at the club as he arrived in the latter stages of the January transfer window.

Although slow of pace he has proved to be a robust defender with the kind of leadership qualities that Celtic have been lacking in recent seasons.

He has proved to be a strong addition to a defence that has been particularly susceptible at set-pieces throughout this season, a backline that Rodgers has already assessed having watched every goal the team conceded last term.

“I think we know there are areas where we can be stronger and better and hopefully we can do that next season,” he said.

Meanwhile, Anthony Stokes has been linked with a move to Birmingham. The Midlands club are believed to be weighing up a move for the Irishman, who Celtic still have a one-year option on his current contract.

That could well be the first major decision of Brendan Rodgers' Celtic career.