The defeat at the hands of Dundee United at the weekend might very well have ended Celtic's hopes of winning a fifth-straight league title. Things should have been so simple, especially after the Rangers have endured a terrible campaign themselves. But somehow, the Hoops have been worse.

With 31 matches played, they find themselves sitting five points behind Hearts, and now, two behind Rangers as well.

It is not all over just yet. But with merely seven more games to go, Celtic will need to be almost perfect if they are to have any hope of coming out of this season with the league title. In fact, even that might not be enough.

Of course, the club have only themselves to blame for the situation they are in. Since the departure of Ange Postecoglou, the squad has been gradually weakened every season to the point where they can't even compete with Scottish opposition.

A major squad overhaul is needed in the summer. Fresh quality needs to be brought in. And we are talking about genuine quality, not making a bunch of project signings in hopes that a few will work out.

At the same time, quite a few will head for the exit door as well. There is some uncertainty around the future of Maik Nawrocki.

Nawrocki never really got enough chances under Brendan Rodgers. When he did get the odd opportunity, he mostly did a good job. But that was not rewarded with more playing time. Perhaps Martin O'Neill could have gotten a lot more out of him. He never had the chance though as the defender was already out on loan at Hannover 96.

After a rough start at Hannover, Nawrocki has played his way into the team and established himself as a starter. He has even scored in back-to-back games for them, as they look to secure promotion to the Bundesliga.

Any permanent move for Nawrocki might depend on Hannover getting promoted. They are believed to hold a £2 million option to buy.

According to CeltsAreHere, Hannover 96's managing director Jörg Schmadtke told BILD regarding the situation of Nawrocki: “It depends on which league we’re in. [A final decision will be] relatively late.”

Nawrocki returning to Celtic might not be the worst thing for the club either. He is someone who does seem to have the potential to do well for the Hoops and did not get a fair shake of things at Parkhead under Rodgers.

If Hannover 96 do end up winning promotion, it is likely that they will take up that option though, after Nawrocki has played a key role for the German side in recent weeks. So, the Polish defender's future is not completely up to Celtic.

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