Kelvin Wilson says Neil Lennon's dressing room speech confirming the defender's Celtic exit shocked the team.
Wilson played 76 times for the Parkhead club before departing for Nottingham Forest in 2013.
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Initially signed from Forest, the Englishman played in Celtic's famous 2-1 win over Barcelona in the 2012/13 Champions League and departed after a qualifying tie with Swedish side Elfsborg.
Wilson said [RecordSport]: "That week, in the build-up to it, my agent rang me and said, 'Kelv, Forest are interested in taking you back. Would you be interested now?
"I said I would be interested. So Neil pulled me because it was in the papers, and said, 'You're not going anywhere.' I was like, 'Okay, fair enough.'
"I spoke to him a few times throughout that week, and then we got to Elfsborg. It was the day of the game and I was in my hotel room. I got a knock at my door, I've opened it, and it's Lenny.
"He's come into my room and asked, 'Right, do you want to go?' And I was like, 'It's something that I've made clear to you that I'd be interested because I need to get back to my daughter.'
"He said, 'Right, they've offered £2.5million and we're willing to accept it. We're not accepting it because we want you to go, we're accepting it because you want to go. If you want to stay, I'll get you a new deal and you can stay longer.'
"I told him it wasn't about the money and he knew that. He just said, 'Play tonight for me, get us through to the Champions League, and you'll go with our blessing.'
"I didn't think twice about playing and I was Man of the Match, so I think I played alright.
"I remember Lenny doing a speech in the changing room after, just letting all the players know that I was leaving. A lot of them were shocked and couldn't believe it."
