Stephen Welsh has returned Motherwell on loan until the end of the season after Celtic signed fellow centre-half Benjamin Arthur on loan from Brentford.

And the January transfer deadline passed with Scottish Premiership top scorer Tawanda Maswanhise still at Fir Park despite speculation linking a number of clubs with the Zimbabwe forward.

Celtic had recalled 26-year-old Welsh, with returning interim manager Martin O’Neill citing the lack of cover with Cameron Carter-Vickers.

But fans of the Fir Park club will be delighted at the centre-half’s return after he has played a key role in their surge into fourth in the Scottish Premiership table.

The Scot has contributed towards nine clean sheets for Jens Berthel Askou’s side.

“We welcome back Stephen with open arms, knowing that he has unfinished business to attend to here with us,” Askou stated.

“The dialogue with Celtic has been good and transparent all the way through, and we are absolutely delighted that we found a solution that sends him back to Fir Park to continue his development with us.”

Earlier in the day, Motherwell had insisted Maswanhise would not be sold in the winter transfer window, despite reported deadline day interest from Anderlecht.

The Zimbabwe international has netted 18 goals in all competitions this term, 13 of which have come in Scotland’s top flight.