‘Forced me out’ - Ex-Celtic hero hits out at Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou over ‘sad’ departure

Former Celtic star Girogos Giakoumakis has hit out at Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou for being the reason he was 'forced' out of Celtic Park.

The Aussie has won over the Spurs faithful since taking over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium thanks to his charismatic interviews and free-flowing football. Even as his side lost their first Premier League match of the season against Chelsea on Monday night, Postecoglou won plaudits for his post-match attitude when accepting controversial VAR calls.

The team's star man this season, James Maddison, opened up about the Australian's management style and how he is loved by teammates. The former Leicester City man said: "He’s a really good motivational speaker. He has this way about him, when he talks to a group of players, he’s almost like an alpha male. When he’s talking, everyone’s listening. You can’t even blink.

“The team talks he does normally the day before the game, or even the day of the game in the changing room, they get you going, they get you ready to go out and play. He’s demanding of you. He uses real-life stuff to compare to football.

“He relates it back to life and family. It makes you want to play, work and run for him. He’s got a natural talent.”

However, it appears that Postecoglou's charm hasn't worked on every player under his management with ex-Celtic striker Giakoumakis making the surprising revelation behind his Glasgow exit.

The 28-year-old now plays for Atlanta United in the USA, where he was named MLS Newcomer of the Year ahead of Lionel Messi, and has accused his former Celtic boss of not trusting him. Giakoumakis told The Athletic: "I wouldn't think to leave Celtic if several things didn't go wrong, and many of them were completely wrong, I cannot lie. My relationship with the manager wasn't great, at the end of the day.

"We never had a specific fight, but he didn't trust me as much as I wanted to feel trusted. I had to go. I never regretted a moment. I was sad that I had to leave Celtic. I was living a life there. I was like a god for the fans.

"My connection with them was really special and it was sad, but I had to make my decision. My last month in Celtic I was suffering because of some people at the club. I didn't receive the respect from the people or from the cub. So actually, I think they forced me out."