Celtic centre-back Christopher Jullien's proposed summer exit fell through because of fitness issues, according to ex-Scotland international Alan Hutton.

The Lowdown: Jullien's exit falls through

The 29-year-old has suffered huge injury problems for the Hoops in recent times, limiting him to just one appearance in the whole of last season, in all competitions.

Jullien was then linked with a move away from Parkhead this summer but a transfer to Schalke collapsed earlier in the window, with reports originally suggesting a financial issue scuppered the deal.

The press in Germany even claimed the medical had already been completed, only for a failure to agree contract terms to stop the deal in its tracks.

The Latest: Hutton makes injury claim

Speaking to Football Insider, BBC pundit Hutton claimed that in fact the injury issues were the reason for Jullien's exit falling through:

"Obviously his move fell through because of medical issues I’m led to believe. So the only thing he can do as a player is focus on the team that he’s at.

"I thought he was an excellent player when he was fully fit and playing. He looked strong, he was physical, a rock at the back. He’s fallen down the pecking order but I still believe he’s got enough to force his way back through.

"Obviously they’ve strengthened at centre-half over this transfer window so it’s going to be difficult but if a move falls through the only thing you can do as a player is concentrate on where you’re at and be fully focused on that."

The Verdict: Worrying for Celtic

While Jullien is a strong performer when fit - he won a mammoth average of 5.1 aerial duels per game in the Scottish Premiership in 2020/21 - this is concerning news from a Celtic perspective because it means they could struggle to offload him this summer.

That would then mean they would lose him on a free transfer in 2023, when is out of contract, making no money on him and essentially losing out on a profit this time around.

If Jullien does stay and manages to remain injury-free, he could perhaps provide stern competition for Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt, but the fact they were willing to sell him to Schalke suggests he is not at all in the manager's plans, now leaving both the club and player in a difficult situation.