Eire U-21 crew boss Jim Crawford admits that Celtic prospect Luca Connell can’t afford to spend one other yr in chilly storage after two “wasted years” because the midfielder broke into Mick McCarthy’s Eire squad as an adolescent.
onnell, who solely turned 20 final month, joined Celtic from Bolton two years in the past in a four-year deal, after a shiny spell the place he impressed for Bolton Wanderers’ first crew and was additionally referred to as in for a senior crew coaching camp by McCarthy.
However since his transfer to Celtic, Connell has but to play for the Bhoys and he spent a few of final season on mortgage to Queens Park, within the Scottish fourth tier.
Crawford says he was buoyed by Connell’s show for the Irish U21s in a pleasant in Wales in March however he has considerations over the proficient midfielder stagnating at Parkhead, together with his deal there operating till 2023.
“I’ve had a dialog with him already, I advised him I used to be a bit involved with him coming into the final camp,” Crawford stated forward of a coaching camp and a three-game sequence of friendlies in Spain this week.
“Conor Coventry had been promoted to the senior crew and we introduced in Luca: he hadn’t been taking part in a lot, he’d simply made his debut for Queens Park on the Saturday and had a implausible efficiency in opposition to Wales, to point out that capacity and potential that he has.
“So we sat down and spoke about it, that he does have to be taking part in first crew soccer week-in week-out as he has the flexibility. He had a style when Mick McCarthy introduced him in with the senior crew and in equity to him he is open, he understands.
“He’s wanting ahead to coming to Spain, he desires to kick on this yr at Celtic, he understands that if issues do not, it is about him having a dialogue with the powers that be at Celtic to see the place his most suitable choice is, to exit on mortgage or what have you ever.
“He is one other clever fella, he is aware of the place he is at, he is aware of he must be taking part in and it is that two seasons of going off the radar which gave him time to replicate and say no, this isn’t what I’m about, as I really feel it’s two years wasted.
“However for him to come back in and put in a efficiency like that in opposition to Wales exhibits the quantity of potential that Luca has,” Crawford added.