Graham Carey will not prolong his stay at Celtic if it means returning to the reserves.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international joined St Mirren on loan in January after failing to impress former Hoops' boss Tony Mowbray, who gave him his debut as a substitute in the 3-3 Europa League draw against Rapid Vienna in Austria last December. Tasting regular SPL football has left the 20-year-old wanting more and with his current deal at Celtic ending in the summer, he is not keen to take a step backwards.
"I've had no word yet from Celtic but I'm in no rush to sign anything, I will wait to see what happens," he said.
"If Celtic wanted to keep me that would be great. I always wanted to play there, that was my goal and hopefully that can happen.
"But if I was to stay there I would want them to assure me that I was going to be a first-team player.
"I wouldn't expect to play every game but would want to be more involved than I have been in the last couple of years, especially at my age. I want to play every week.
"This is my fifth season at Celtic. I went on loan to Bohemians in Ireland last season and I loved it. I thought I would get a bit more of a chance leading up to January but that wasn't to be.
"I got on in Vienna and I was disappointed that it was my only appearance. It was a little bit disheartening but you have to respect the manager's decision.
"If he didn't think I was ready then I wasn't ready, that's why I went out on loan to prove that I can play in the SPL.
"In January, with six months left on my contract, I couldn't really stay there playing reserves football. I had to get out to impress the Celtic staff and other managers and it's been great."
Source: PA
