Marco Tilio didn’t have the best luck at Celtic in the first half of the campaign before heading back to Melbourne City on loan.
The Australia international arrived for a fee in the region of £1.5 million; however, initial injury issues and difficulty with transition to life in Scotland hampered his chances of making an impact at Parkhead.
Brendan Rodgers indicated last year that his struggles transcended his training performance, stating: “It’s just time. I think he will admit it himself; it’s been a really, really hard transition for him. Just the intensity of the game is totally different to what he’s been used to, so it’s been a challenge for him in training.”
The 22-year-old had to wait until late November for his debut and has only featured in 27 minutes of competitive action for Celtic during cameo appearances against Motherwell and Hibernian [Transfermarkt].
On deadline day, his temporary move back to Melbourne City was ratified, allowing the Hurstville-born man an opportunity to return to familiar surroundings.
Last Saturday, Tilio got on to the pitch for the first time since re-joining the City Boys, playing 32 minutes in a heavy 5-1 away defeat to Brisbane Roar.
Marco Tilio drops honest verdict on ‘difficult’ time at Celtic
It is hard not to feel sorry for Tilio following his awkward start at Parkhead, though football is a challenging environment where things don’t always work as planned.
In a recent interview, the former Sydney FC man made some rather honest admissions about his six months in Glasgow and indicated he felt he could’ve been given more of a chance by Rodgers.
Cited via The West Australian, Tilio spoke about some of the problems he encountered, including his fitness issues, stating: “I went away with the under 23s and got injured. I then thought it was a week (long) injury. I signed the contract, and obviously, I was injured and out for three months.
“So it doesn’t help, and then you’re competing with eight or nine other wingers that are just as good as you, if not better, and it was always going to be a difficult road trying to get into that team of Celtic.”
He later added: “The first few months, I felt I got to the speed of what the other boys were at and probably deserved to play, have an opportunity to play. But there’s a lot of players there, a lot of quality, and it’s never going to be easy.
“So it was a tough six months for my football, but it’s always a learning curve for me, and we’ll see what happens in the future.
Marco Tilio has a chance to shine away from Celtic
Right now, all Tilio can do is impress in his homeland before his future at Celtic comes under review once the summer transfer window opens.
His lack of involvement at first-team level raises more questions than answers concerning the Bhoys’ much-maligned recruitment strategy.
Nevertheless, it isn’t his fault this is the case, and hopefully, he can help Melbourne City in their efforts to climb the A-League Men table.
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