Luis Palma notched his first Celtic goal against Kilmarnock after big moment against Lazio was cut short thanks to VAR.
Luis Palma has been tipped to open the floodgates for budding Honduran stars with his burgeoning talent.
And former Celtic hero Simon Donnelly is convinced he can be a smash hit for the champions as he offers the guile that can complement the searing pace of his team-mates. Palma is back at Parkhead ready to launch stage two of his career in Glasgow and the initial signs were highly encouraging.
Although his Champions League effort against Lazio was ruled out for offside by VAR, the attacker’s terrific hit against Kilmarnock made it two in two Premiership games before he headed off to join Honduras on national-team duty. Palma is now back and a strong contender to start against Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday as Rodgers’ men aim to extend their winning run in the Premiership and cement their position at the top of the table.
Those early performances since his £3.5million switch from Greek side Aris have impressed the Celtic support and Donnelly sees an individual capable of offering variety in a key area. Speedsters such as Daizen Maeda, the injured Liel Abada and South Korean Yang Hyun-jun are also options on the flanks for Rodgers, while Kyogo Furuhashi is lightning quick up top.
But Donnelly, himself a former wide boy at Parkhead, said: “From what I have seen so far of Palma, he looks as though he can offer something a little different to the other wide players.
“I see someone who is capable of coming inside and linking the game as opposed to having to rely purely on sheer pace. He’s not slow by any means but I’m not sure he’s lightning quick. Palma looks like a clever footballer, someone who has an intelligent brain and can link-up with his team-mates in attacking areas.
“And what he has shown in front of goal is technique. His strike against Kilmarnock was full of it and, even though the effort was ruled out, it was the same when he put the ball in the net against Lazio in the Champions League match.”
Palma’s sudden impact at Parkhead has captured the imagination of the public in his homeland with his Lazio moment a hot topic when he returned to Honduras for the double-header against Cuba. The country has exported top platers in the past, with the likes of Wilson Palacios, Maynor Figueroa and Hendry Thomas competing in England’s top flight.
Emilio Izaguirre was also an impressive contributor at Celtic after being signed by Neil Lennon in 2010, with his two spells at the club covering almost a decade. Agent Paulo Hernandez was responsible for helping the left-back switch to Scotland and also played a key role in the arrival of Palma.
He believes the winger’s work in Glasgow, having also been a hit in Greece, will entice more clubs to look at Hondurans and open a pathway. Hernandez said: “Wilson Palacios was good, Maynor Figueroa, Hendry Thomas too, Emilio in Scotland. That helped other players arrive.
“Luis’ good performance is going to make the Honduran player loved a little more. The Honduran player is a worker and wants to progress.
“He [Palma] is a boy I have known since he was 17. I have made a journey with him very close to his family and the credit goes to the player.
“It makes me happy to see him debut in the Champions League as a starter. What Luis has achieved has a lot of merit but not only for him, I imagine that it is also a source of pride for the country.
“It is a special market in which you have to trust, push the players, overcome some resistance, because the passport when you are in Honduras still weighs. But I have absolute confidence in the national team, which is the greatest reflection of Honduran football. I think we are going to enter a beautiful stage and this will push us so that we can see more.
“He [Palma] is going to go as far as he wants. I remember when [former Aris coach] Mono Burgos said goodbye to Luis. He told him: ‘Luis, you are going to go as far as you want.’
“He is a very professional boy, he believes in his abilities, so he will go as far as he wants.”
Speaking to media outlet Diez, Hernandez continued: “It is the ability, we cannot forget that 18 months ago he was playing for Vida and now he has made his debut in the Champions League. For Hondurans, it is one of the most important [transfers] in recent times. Luis’ transfer will be among the top four or five in the history of Honduran football.”