Former Celtic star reveals he spoke to ex-boss about Parkhead return
The full-back, who joined the club in 2011 from Cardiff, spent four years at Parkhead, making 150 appearances and winning four league titles.
He was part of the squad that defeated Barcelona and reached the last 16 of the Champions League in the 2012/13 season.
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He left Celtic for Sunderland in 2015 and went on to play for Bristol City, Charlton Athletic, and Omonia Nicosia before joining Shamrock Rovers.
However, Matthews could have made a return to Celtic during Neil Lennon's second stint as manager, which began in 2019 after Brendan Rodgers' departure.
Matthews told RecordSport: "There was talk of it [a return] when Lennon went back.
"I spoke to him a couple of times about it and nothing materialised from it, really.
"But I would have loved to have the opportunity to go back, but it didn't happen.
"I've been up a couple of times to watch some games and watch them every time they're on TV.
"So, I'm a fan now.
"So, that's better than being nothing."
Reflecting on his time at Celtic, Matthews said: "The best moments of my career have definitely come at Celtic.
"The group of boys, we all got on well.
"The fans... It's just a different club.
"You don't realise unless you either support the team or play for the team, you don't realise how special that club is.
"I loved every minute of it."
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