Winger Liel Abada has moved to put a stop to criticism of the Celtic fans in the Israeli media as he jetted out to kickstart his Charlotte FC career.

The 22-year-old winger sealed a move to the MLS earlier this month for a fee in the region of £10million having only signed a new four-year deal with the Scottish Premiership champions last September. But he was left out of the matchday squad by Brendan Rodgers due to personal reasons amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Pressure intensified for the Israel international in his homeland with elements of the Celtic support flying flags and showing their support for Palestine. Some Israeli outlets put the blame on Celtic fans for the exit – with some going as far to claim that Abada had been subject to verbal abuse in the street. However, the wide man has once again professed his love for the club.

After playing his first minutes since February in Israel’s Euro 2024 playoff defeat to Iceland, Abada was grilled by the press at the airport before jetting out Stateside. He told Sport 1 said: “The feelings are very good. I’m waiting to get there and meet everyone and start my journey.”

Pressed on his time at Celtic, he responded: “It was really not easy being far away, but I had time with my family and friends now to see everyone. I had an amazing time at Celtic and now my head is on a new journey.

“I hope I can represent the country with respect. I had some time now with family and friends and now I’m embarking on a new journey.”

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