Michel-Ange Balikwisha has admitted he was not physically prepared for the demands of Celtic and wanted to be substituted just ten minutes into his first appearance against Rangers.

The winger arrived from Royal Antwerp in August 2025 after Celtic spent around £5million to sign him.

There were high expectations surrounding the move after the Hoops had tracked Balikwisha across several transfer windows.

Find out when the next Glasgow derby is and what channel it is on.

However, he failed to make an impact in Glasgow.

Balikwisha managed only 398 minutes across 14 appearances, registering two assists without scoring before being allowed to return to Belgium on loan with Gent.

He has now accepted some responsibility for those struggles, admitting the intensity of Celtic training and Scottish football caught him completely by surprise.

“When I left Antwerp, Van Bommel told me I would be flying in Scotland,” Balikwisha told Het Nieuwsblad, via Sport Witness.

“But it turned out I wasn’t physically ready for Celtic. It is four times as intense there as it is here.

“In my first match against Rangers, I wanted to ask to be substituted after just ten minutes.

“It is sprint after sprint after sprint, even immediately after a throw-in. My thighs immediately caught fire. Every training session is like a match.

“Once, Martin O’Neill forced the attackers to make extra runs with the ball,” he said.

“I was already knocked out, but after that, I was lying completely knocked out in the dressing room, stone dead.

“There was a teammate who thought he was going to die, really. He went to the hospital for a check-up.

“That is why I still hit the gym here after a training session. To maintain that. If I want to move to a bigger league, I have to keep bringing maximum intensity.”

Balikwisha’s comments arrive after he criticised Celtic for blocking a proposed MLS loan, which he believes ultimately cost him a place in DR Congo’s World Cup squad.

The 25-year-old is now hoping to rebuild his career at Gent, who hold an option to sign him permanently for around £3.5million.

He has even suggested the Belgian side could exercise that clause before selling him for between €15million and €20million.

That valuation feels exceptionally optimistic for a player who contributed so little at Celtic and is only beginning to rediscover regular football.

Balikwisha clearly has confidence in his ability, but his latest admission also confirms that Celtic did not receive a player ready to meet the standards required, despite scouting him for 18 months.

His struggles were not solely about a lack of opportunities or managerial changes. By his own account, he was unable to cope physically from the beginning.

Extra gym work and regular minutes may help him rediscover his form in Belgium, but any talk of a €20million move feels slightly premature. April Fools’ Day remains several months away.