Hull striker Vennegoor of Hesselink surprised by Celtic exit

Hull City striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink admits his departure from Celtic was a surreal experience.

The Dutchman joined Hull last year as a free agent after leaving Parkhead when his contract expired in June.

He told the Sunday Herald: “We had lost the league and suddenly nobody knew for certain what was going to happen next. It wasn’t the ending I wanted.

“My future was unclear and it was the same for a lot of the players. I looked around our dressing-room and I couldn’t believe what had happened. We were all desperate to end on a high and it was difficult to come to terms with the fact we were not champions. It took me a long time to get over it.

“Losing is part of football. I understand that. It can make you a stronger person, but you always dream of a happy ending. Maybe that’s just the romantic inside me, I don’t know. We never got our happy ending. It was the opposite.

“Gordon left the following day and the rest of us followed. I left a week later, Paul Hartley left and Shunsuke Nakamura left. Since then, another six or seven players from that team have departed. We achieved so much together and it was a shame we couldn’t finish as winners. I’ve never talked publicly about that day before. What happened will always be a regret, but the time has come to move on.”