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Celtic manager admits Daniel Arzani needs to wait for his debut
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has stressed that Daniel Arzani may not make his debut in the near future as he has yet to achieve match fitness. The Australia international joined the Hoops on a two-year loan from Manchester City earlier this month but he has since failed to make the matchday squad for any of the club’s games.
Speaking in a news conference, Rodgers indicated that the youngster has only recently joined the Scottish champions and he may require a couple more weeks in order to build up his fitness, he said: “He’s settling in very well. He’s a really good boy and hungry to do well. He’s obviously a bit behind in terms of fitness, naturally, because he’s only just joined and hasn’t had the chance to play since the World Cup.”
Arzani was an unknown to the footballing fraternity until“ the previous campaign where he made 18 appearances for Melbourne City. “ Thereafter, he earned a surprise call-up to the Australian national team for the summer World Cup and though he could not start any of the group stage games, he was impressive with the minimal gametime offered from the bench.
Owing to this, Arzani had been heavily tipped to join the Hoops much earlier in the transfer window but the move was delayed with City deciding to pursue the marksman from their sister club first before loaning him out. As a result, he has not had practice in recent months with the uncertainty regarding his future but hopefully, he can now establish himself under the guidance of Rodgers.
Meanwhile, Celtic have gone through a disappointing phase after failing to qualifying for the Champions League and they are presently contending with the playoffs of the Europa League. Celtic managed a 1-1 draw against Lithuanian side Suduva on the road last week and Rodgers will now be hoping for a strong performance at home to seal the group stage berth.