The decision made by Neil Lennon to leave Daniel Arzani out of Celtic’s Europa League group stage squad could prove to be invaluable for the attacker.
The Aussie star made his long awaited return for the Celtic development side in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw against Hibernian. Arzani had last featured in October of last year when his Hoops debut was cruelly cut short by an awful knee injury.
He’s slowly made his comeback and is now clearly ready to push for a first-team spot. But he won’t be eligible for any of Celtic’s six Europa League Group E matches after Lennon left him out of the squad.
But that could prove to be a masterstroke from the Northern Irishman.
Lennon has given Arzani a chance to simplify his recovery
In weeks like this, when the first-team are off abroad on Europa League duty, Arzani won’t have to bother travelling out with them. He can instead focus totally on his own recovery, be that on the training pitch or in the gym.
He can also take part in development matches like Tuesday’s rather than being an unused squad member in the Rennes clash.
Arzani needs minutes under his belt to catch up with his teammates match sharpness and general fitness. The next month or so will effectively be his pre-season and he could have a couple of opportunities of game time.
The upcoming Betfred Cup quarter-final against Partick Thistle looks like a good chance for him to shine. Arzani may not start the match given that it’s next week but he could certainly look to make an impact from the bench.
Quite simply, not having to worry about the rigours of the Europa League simplifies everything for the youngster. And for that Lennon should take credit.
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