Celtic have a clutch of players who are currently out on loan at other clubs trying to make an impression before returning to Parkhead.
Brendan Rodgers made it his mission to farm out several fringe players in January, with Mikey Johnston and Hyeokkyu Kwon taking centre stage by completing moves to West Bromwich Albion and St Mirren, respectively.
Lennoxtown product Adam Montgomery had all intentions of making an impact at Motherwell on a similar basis before a serious hamstring injury curtailed his stint at Fir Park.
One other noteworthy departure in the mid-season window was that of £1.5 million summer signing Marco Tilio, who headed back to Melbourne City on deadline day despite only arriving at Celtic from the City Boys last summer.
Brendan Rodgers had previously indicated that Tilio had struggled to adapt to life in Glasgow, citing a combination of his early injury problems and the ‘intensity’ of Scottish football.
Nevertheless, he has gone back to familiar surroundings at AAMI Park and has already made an impression, scoring his first goal the week before last against Sydney FC.
Despite their status as one of Australia’s dominant clubs, Melbourne City are in a rut and without a win in five, sitting eighth in the A-League table.
As a result, Tilio has been one of the few shining lights for Aurelio Vidmar’s outfit during a difficult period.
Celtic loanee Marco Tilio wins award at Melbourne City
Making an impact in his homeland, Tilio has been voted Melbourne City’s Player of the Month for February, adding some extra intrigue to his ongoing loan spell away from Celtic.
Overall, the 22-year-old has made three appearances since swapping green and white for sky blue, with his goal against Sydney being his only strike so far [Transfermarkt].
Per Sofascore, Tilio has averaged around one shot on goal per league match; meanwhile, his defensive metrics have been impressive, given the loanee has managed to make two successful tackles and 3.3 ball recoveries per fixture in his time on the field.
Of course, Melbourne City’s poor run of form and his popularity among their support would’ve played into the outcome of the vote; however, it is positive to see Tilio making gradual strides in his spell away from Parkhead.
Hopefully, the Australia international can continue his encouraging form before returning to Lennoxtown revitalised heading into pre-season.
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