Todd Cantwell subtle Rangers title prediction backfires as Celtic fans troll derby absentee

Todd Cantwell watched on from the bench as Rangers' title dreams vanished at Celtic Park yesterday.

And despite playing no part in the crushing 2-1 defeat, Cantwell still found himself the butt of Hoops fans' jokes as his subtle pre-season title prediction backfired. The ex-Norwich City star has copped criticism this season for some of his performances on the pitch but the 26-year-old has been more than active off the park, too.

Earlier this week, Cantwell posted a cryptic message on Instagram with the song lyrics "a bird can't fly in a cage". The post set tongues wagging amongst the Ibrox faithful, with many fans questioning Cantwell's motive ahead of a massive must-win clash at Parkhead.

The 26-year-old found himself rooted to the bench yesterday as Tom Lawrence was given the nod against the champions. Clement confirmed Cantwell was fit, but after John Lundstram's early red card, the Gers boss told reporters at full-time that it wasn't the right game to throw the playmaker on.

It's unclear if Cantwell's social media activity had any bearing on Clement's team selection but Celtic fans were quick to flick through their bookmarks after the final whistle. Before the Premiership campaign got underway in August, Cantwell shared a picture on Instagram alongside Michael Beale, captioned: "Let's fight for everything."

Eagle-eyed followers spotted a tiny number 56 edited into the Englishman's shorts, a reference to the Ibrox club's highly-sought after next league title. And a screenshot of Cantwell's post was doing the rounds on social media last night as Celtic fans celebrated another derby win that all but secured three-in-a-row.

One fan joked: "The budgie never even got let out the cage today." Another teased: "Thought he played brilliant today. So brilliant in fact u couldn’t even see him on the pitch." While a third posted: "How did that work out @ToddCantwell_10."