Celtic have confirmed that Hatem Elhamed has joined Hapoel Be’er Sheva on a permanent basis.

The 29-year-old defender, who was signed from the Israeli club for a reported £1.6million in 2019, but had made one substitute appearance since early December.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon revealed on Saturday that Elhamed had felt “very low” with life in Scotland.

He said: “He was going through a really difficult time, his wife and son were back in Israel and he was here on his own and he was really struggling with life away from the training ground and stadium.”

Celtic’s official Twitter account said: “The club would like to thank Hatem for his contributions at #CelticFC and wish him the very best in his future career.”