Palma’s lack of intensity to blame for Celtic failings says Izaguirre

The Honduran international has once more been sent out on loan from Celtic, making a brief appearance off the bench for Polish side Lech Poznan over the weekend. Palma spent the second half of last season at Greek champions Olympiacos where he scored only once.

Emilio Izaguirre, who now heads a sporting director role at Honduran top-flight side Motagua, had two trophy-laden spells at Celtic that included seven league titles, three Scottish Cups, and two League Cups.

The ex-left-back played an instrumental role in Palma’s move to the Hoops by putting his name forward to the club. However, he has acknowledged feeling let down by Palma’s commitment during his time in Scotland.

Speaking via The National, Izaguirre said: “I think Luis Palma needed to be more intense when he was at Celtic and actually finish the 90 minutes. I don’t know if he has good pre-seasons, I don’t know about injuries, but you can see that he never seems to be able to finish the 90 minutes. He’s a winger and has to run many miles a game, press and make runs. I’m not sure he did that.”

“But he still has the potential to return to form. He’s now in Poland and we hope he gets the chance to play and enjoy it because he definitely has what it takes. I have always believed in the national team players, which is why many of them play in Europe. We have quality.”

Meanwhile, after coming on during Lech Poznan’s 4-3 victory over John Carver’s Lechia Gdansk, Palma received praise from his manager, Niels Frederiksen, for his debut performance in Polish football.

Freseriksen said: “Luis Palma only had a few minutes on the pitch, but he forced a good save from their keeper and you could see the quality he has. He will be a big player for us this season once he gets up to match fitness.”

The harsh reality for Palma is that his time at Celtic is up. Another loan move is only delaying the inevitable when next summer comes around.

Izaguirre is right in his assessment. He lacked intensity to play under Rodgers’ style of play which ultimately made him surplus to requirements.

Conor Spence