You could pretty much sum up the positives of Celtic’s pre-season with two words: Camilo Duran.
Brought to Glasgow from Qarabag for £6 million, the forward has well and truly hit the ground running, scoring in each of his three friendly appearances so far.
We all know that pre-season can be deceptive, but our eyes surely aren’t lying to us here. This guy has something.
That something may be exactly what Martin O’Neill needs to move on after the sale of Daizen Maeda to Ipswich Town.
🔚 And that’s a wrap for Celtic’s pre-season!
What did we make of an entertaining draw with AC Milan?
Camilo Duran looks like exactly what Celtic needed
Two of Duran’s three goals so far have come from pouncing upon opposition errors, just as Maeda made his speciality.
His Champions League record from last season leaves little doubt over his quality in front of goal.
READ MORE: Why Chris Sutton’s Maeda disbelief is completely missing the point
It’s pretty hard not to buy into the hype. The Colombian’s qualities could replace Maeda in a way which many would’ve seen as unlikely.
But clearly, there’s still plenty of work being done. This looks set to start the addition of Kasper Hogh, who is having a Celtic medical this weekend.
Hogh’s addition will rightly be well-received by the support, but it does raise a question over how the Dane will co-exist with Duran.
Duran said he was open to playing in a strike partnership a few days ago, and given the duo’s differing styles of play, they could work as a pairing.
The Colombian also has experience of playing as a winger – in fact, he played there exclusively until exploding into form as a frontman for Qarabag last year.
There’s no doubt that O’Neill needs wide reinforcements, too. But as fans bemoan the club’s lack of swift progress in the transfer market, Duran stands as an example of the optimism that new signings can bring.
🚨 LIFT OFF FOR KASPER!!!
Celtic look to have a new club-record signing…
Martin O’Neill on Kasper Hogh: ‘It’s progressing’
Speaking after Saturday’s friendly, the Hoops boss confirmed: “Yes, I’m hoping that that will happen.
“I think there’s a good chance of it. But until someone’s actually signed and sealed, there might be things still up in the air. But it’s certainly progressing.
“I think, without going too deeply into it, that’s the calibre of player that we’d be looking for, who has scored goals in the Champions League.”
“Yes, apparently so, (He’s having a medical). He will have one in the next 24 hours, I think.”
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