Danny bhoy

Australian midfielder, Daniel Arzani, is delighted to be back playing after being out with a long-term injury

- TONY CONNELLY

WHEN Daniel Arzani embarked on his loan move to Celtic, he knew he faced a steep challenge in earning a place in the team.

However, the young Australian encountered an entirely different test in the form of a long-term injury.

Having come through that difficult period in his life, Arzani now hopes the lessons learned from that experience will prove useful in his bid for a place in Neil Lennon’s team.

Having just signed for Manchester City from Melbourne City – one of the Premier League club’s sister clubs – ahead of the 2018/19 season, Arzani immediately agreed a two-year loan move to Celtic as a means of gaining some first-team experience at the top level.

The then 19-year-old was a hot prospect, having been the youngest player at the 2018 World Cup tournament, and the chance to train and play with the recently crowned Treble-winning Invincibles was an exciting opportunity.

After a couple of months training with Celtic, Arzani was handed his debut in the Hoops in an away league meeting against Dundee at Dens Park. He came on shortly after half-time but his season was over around 20 minutes later after sustaining a serious injury. He marked his welcome return earlier this month when he came on during Celtic’s 2-1 win over Partick Thistle at Firhill in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup. Not surprisingly, Arzani was elated at being back playing first-team football again.

“It’s been an incredibly long time that I’ve been out, so it means the world to me to be back out on the pitch doing what I love,” he said. “I’m really happy with how I’ve progressed in the last couple of weeks and the chances the manager has given me.