Green For Go

Luca Connell is embracing the challenge of getting into the Celtic first-team, and is relishing the prospect of playing at Paradise

- Tony Connelly

SIGNING for Celtic at just age 18 can create a lot of pressure for an aspiring young player. Thankfully, Luca Connell has the level of maturity needed to navigate the challenges that lie ahead.

Having arrived in Paradise on a four-year deal fresh from impressing Mick McCarthy in a recent summer training camp with the Republic of Ireland senior side, he is now readying himself to take them on.

This time last year, the Liverpool-born teenager had only just played his first game of senior football when he came on in in a pre-season friendly for Bolton Wanderers. A few months later, he was training with the first-team before establishing himself as a regular in the side during the second half of the season.

“I broke into the squad during pre-season last season,” said Connell in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View. “I played for the first-team in a friendly against Halifax, coming on as a left-back for the last 20 minutes. I started training regularly with the first-team in October, and my competitive debut came in January in the FA Cup against Walsall. Then I played in midfield for the rest of the season.

“The step up to the first-team was massive in terms of the tempo and quality, and I learned from a lot of the players like Gary O’Neil who is very experienced. Sammy Ameobi was very good and Jason Lowe helped me. Joe Williams, who was on loan from Everton, is also a Scouser, so naturally we connected.”