Celtic youngster Luca Connell on loving life in Mount Florida, set-pieces and fitness

By Euan Davidson

April 6, 2021

Celtic youngster Luca Connell surprised many of us by joining Queens Park.

The ambitious Mount Floridians, who turned professional last season, are sitting top of SPFL League Two. The Spiders look nailed on for promotion [SPFL]. Connell, who played 10 senior matches for Bolton Wanderers before joining Celtic, has loved getting back into first-team action.

Connell said [Not The Old Firm]:

“I am really enjoying it. It’s good to be back playing senior football again. It’s competitive. I practice a lot with dead-balls as they are a big part of the game, corners and free-kick situations. That’s taking them and defending them.

“Games can be won in both boxes. We have done well to adapt. You are always looking at the table but we take it game by game and then see how we are. It’s hard after not playing for a while but I am dealing with it well. We look fit and strong.”

Connell has been on fire since travelling south of the Clyde. Match-winning performances have given Celtic supporters plenty of reasons to be excited. Not only is he playing well, he’s scoring and assisting goals. Perhaps, there’s an argument to be made that it’s too low of a level for the Ireland youth international.

Celtic youngster Luca Connell at former club Bolton / (Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)

Weird as it is to say, Celtic coaches should be listening to Luca Connell

“Games can be won in both boxes”, eh?

It’s a very interesting comment for Luca Connell to make, and it hints at something that was missing from Lennoxtown. It’d be pretty catastrophic if Connell was to take away fundamental parts of his tactical development from a League Two side and not Celtic. That’s with no disrespect to the Spiders, of course, who could be battling us in the Premiership this decade.

Either way, ramifications be damned, it’s good for Luca Connell. We’ve actually had a chance to watch how he plays, and he’s an exciting talent. Fantastically skilled in possession, capable with both feet and with good vision, the Irish youth international looks worth the investment.

He may require another loan, perhaps in the Scottish Championship, to be ready to fight for minutes in the Celtic first-team. But at his current rate of progression, Bhoys supporters have every right to be excited.

If Connell is improving his overall game, and working on a long-standing achilles heel for the Celtic first-team, then we really have no room for complaints.

READ MORE: Celtic-linked Crystal Palace youngster readies himself for PL action, but if Nick Hammond’s gone, are the Bhoys still interested?