Celtic winger Luis Palma showed supporters he still has plenty to offer at the club during the latest round of international fixtures.
While some of his teammates jetted off to feature for their respective countries, Palma travelled with Celtic to face Sligo Rovers and caught the eye with a hat-trick at the Showgrounds.
Of course, the level of opposition needs to be taken into account, no disrespect, but the Honduran’s attitude alongside several of his teammates will have won some favour under Brendan Rodgers.
With Palma’s Honduras prospects up to Reinaldo Rueda, his personal focus will now turn to proving a point at Celtic as club football enters the forefront once again.
There is still plenty of time left in the season for him to make an impact, but it remains to be seen how many opportunities he may have to do so.
Luis Palma’s Celtic point to prove this season
Due to the early-season form of Nicolas Kuhn and Daizen Maeda at Celtic, which has yielded 21 goal contributions between them, there is an acknowledgement that Palma may have his work cut out for him to break into the starting line-up.
However, he has registered 20 goal contributions of his own in 40 appearances for the Bhoys, offering a hit rate of one involvement in some form every two matches.
Yesterday, Palma let his social media followers know he was willing to ‘be patient’ in anticipation of his chance to show what he can offer on the flanks, retaining a defiant stance despite only featuring in 106 minutes of competitive action this term.
Admittedly, his only start against Falkirk didn’t set the heather alight, but his exploits over in Ireland did offer a reminder that he can contribute something to the fold that may differentiate from other existing options.
Brendan Rodgers has honed in on scope for Palma improvement
Speaking after the friendly in Sligo, Rodgers showed his belief in Palma at Celtic and encouraged the Honduran to avoid ‘forcing’ the issue too much in attacking scenarios.
He stated: “He wanted to stay in the international break to get the work in and obviously playing this game and it’s been a nice reward for him.
“It’s just about not forcing it. I think sometimes the thing with wingers is, when other players are in the team and scoring and creating goals, you feel you really want to come in and force it a little bit. I think sometimes that’s what’s happened with Luis.
“He’s a very good technician, and when he plays for the team and works hard and presses well, then he can be a really good player.”
Stat-trackers Fotmob show Palma created 66 chances in the Scottish Premiership last term alongside 48 dribbles and 46 successful crosses, something that Rodgers can also acknowledge in the cold light of day.
Now, the focus for the man in question is getting back to producing his best levels on a consistent basis. Hopefully, the next few months can prove beneficial to his mission.
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