[ad_pod ]

Celtic announced their 43-man squad for the Europa League this season earlier this week, and there was one surprise omission in the form of summer signing Daniel Arzani.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the highly-rated 19-year-old was brought to Celtic Park on a two-year loan after he joined Manchester City from Melbourne City this summer, and having shown plenty of glimpses of quality for Australia at the 2018 World Cup it would have surely been hoped that he could hit the ground running with the Bhoys.

However, the talented teenager won’t feature in Europe for the Scottish Premiership holders this term, with assistant manager Chris Davies suggesting that he still needs time to settle in to his new surroundings.

According to an interview as reported by STV, Davies said: “He is two weeks into his training program here, which is, in normal terms, still early pre-season.

“He still has a way to go to get up to speed but he has a two-year loan and we are going to support his development.”

Was signing him a mistake?

In the short-term, it seems it absolutely was.

When Celtic were signing an exciting young player from Man City they would have been hoping that he could make an instant impact for them out wide – especially having seen Patrick Roberts and Charly Musonda return to City and Chelsea respectively following loan spells last season.

Given his performances in Russia this summer, Arzani could have been a real dangerous weapon for the Bhoys in the Europa League, and the fact that he isn’t yet ready for action suggests that Celtic should not have signed the 19-year-old – or at least waited until January when he may have been ready and prepared.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”288872″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafas Pub Facts Murray The Magician & Desperately Seeking Zaha”]