Viduka goes back to Celtic

Marko Viduka returned to Celtic last night with both club and player insisting he is finally ready to relaunch his playing career…

Marko Viduka returned to Celtic last night with both club and player insisting he is finally ready to relaunch his playing career.

The Australian international striker was signed from Croatia Zagreb for £3 million last year only to quit the club within days of his arrival.

Complaining of stress-related problems, Viduka left Scotland and set in motion a long-running dispute with the Parkhead club as to his future.

But Celtic managing director Fergus McCann said last night: "Marko has informed Celtic he is fit, well, and committed to being a Celtic player for the next four years."

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McCann conceded there were still certain ongoing matters to resolve, but expressed confidence the apparent rift had now healed.

He added: "The contractual position is detailed. However, we will act to ensure every party receives what they are due from the deal. We look forward to Marko's contribution on the pitch."

Viduka himself claimed he now only wanted to focus on establishing himself at Celtic admitting he now wanted to repay the club's often strained faith in him.

He said: "I feel relieved that I will now be able to resume my Celtic career. I would like to reassure the Celtic support, my team-mates, the directors, management and staff at Celtic and the media of my commitment to Celtic.

There seems no prospect of Viduka appearing in today's Scottish Cup third round home meeting with Airdrie.