The Czech winger was back at Parkhead with Besiktas and tasked with tormenting the Hoops just as he had during his impressive season-long stint at Ibrox.

Instead, Celtic had the last laugh.

Martin O’Neill’s men roared to a 3-2 victory as a Camilo Duran double and Callum Osmand strike, just seconds after the youngster entered the pitch, turned the night on its head.

And these are increasingly uncertain times for Cerny.

The 29-year-old has never fully convinced in black and white and, hours before kick-off, transfer murmurs were already circulating in Turkey over his future. Besiktas boss Vincenzo Italiano was reportedly said to have identified Kosovo star Edon Zhegrova as an ideal replacement should Cerny depart.

The former Rangers favourite had even been publicly challenged to recapture his Old Firm magic before facing Celtic again.

Turkish journalist Ali Ece declared: “Cerny should say, ‘I’m back, this match is mine’.

“He was delivering outstanding performances in Rangers-Celtic matches.

“Cerny was the name who tormented Celtic.”

But the big comeback never materialised. Cerny failed to make the telling impact demanded of him and was hooked in the 83rd minute as Celtic closed in on victory.

Rangers fans were desperate for Cerny’s loan to become permanent in 2025, but few will have been pining for him after this return to Glasgow’s east end.

With just one goal since August, the brutal reality is that Cerny now faces a tough road to win over a demanding Besiktas support.