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The season is barely over at Celtic but with pre-season training for next term due to start in just a few weeks time, thoughts are already drifting towards the UEFA Champions League qualifiers that will define the Hoops’ summer.
Manager Neil Lennon knows he needs to pick up early good results to win over some sceptical fans that don’t believe he is the right man to lead the club forward.
With competitive games arriving so quickly he’s unlikely to have made all the signings he wants to revitalise his squad, so will have to rely on players already at the club to get the job done in initial qualifying.
One player that could provide an attacking boost to the team though is Australian international Daniel Arzani, who should be fit and available again after a long-term knee injury that ruined his season at Celtic Park.
On the chalkboard
Arzani managed just 33 minutes of football at Celtic before suffering an injury at Dens Park that kept him out for the entire campaign, perhaps making him the unluckiest debutante in recent memory.
Signing for Manchester City last summer after catching the eye for Australia during the World Cup, the player is thought to have significant potential, but hasn’t yet been able to show what he can do in British football.
His loan at Celtic Park fortunately runs until the summer of 2020 though and having put in the hard work to get back to fitness, The Daily Record reported last month he should be fit in time for the new season.
He plays predominately on the left wing, and that just so happens to be an area of the pitch that Celtic need a bit of inspiration in, making him well-placed to freshen up a Hoops side that has often been struggling for ideas in recent months.
Sinclair problem
Scott Sinclair has dominated the left wing position at Celtic for three seasons now and while he’s scored an impressive amount of goals in that time, 60 in total, his overall game has significantly regressed over the last 18 months.
Lennon actually started to rely on Jonny Hayes and Mikey Johnston instead when naming his starting elevens in the tail-end of the season, so there is definitely room for Arzani to impress and make the position his own in the early stages of next term.
A right-footed winger who has exciting close control skills and can drift in from the left flank, he fits the profile of players that traditionally excite Celtic fans – a Patrick Roberts type character who can entertain and get supporters on their feet.
Obviously there will be work to do to get that match sharpness back, but the path to the first-team this season is arguably clearer for the Australian than last season and that must be giving him hope.