New signing Camilo Duran compared to Daizen Maeda
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill believes new signing Camilo Duran possesses the pressing intensity to become a "second Daizen Maeda" after the Colombian forward scored on his unofficial debut in a pre-season friendly.
Duran, who joined from Qarabag for an undisclosed fee last week, stepped off the bench to net within five minutes against Sporting on Tuesday, briefly levelling the score at 1-1 before the Portuguese side ran out 4-1 winners at the Estadio Algarve.
The 24-year-old is Celtic's only summer signing so far, arriving amid growing expectation that influential Japan international Maeda will depart. O'Neill has already admitted he is resigned to losing the forward, making Duran's early adaptation all the more timely.
"I'm delighted with him. I didn't think that he got a great deal of service with the changes that we made during the course of the game. Overall, I think he will be a really good acquisition for us," O'Neill told club media.
Pressing intensity fits O'Neill's blueprint
Maeda's relentless work rate has been a hallmark of Celtic's high-octane style, and O'Neill is confident Duran can replicate that tenacity in the Scottish Premiership.
"We talked about Maeda being able to close players down. He might be the second Maeda in that aspect. He certainly has a willingness to do so," O'Neill explained.
Duran's brief cameo showcased bursts of direct running that troubled Sporting's defence, although the manager acknowledged the lack of service after wholesale changes disrupted Celtic's rhythm. "Once or twice it looked as if he was just going to break away and do some things during the course of the time that he was on," O'Neill added. "But, overall, I was very pleased with him. He wants to do well, he genuinely does."
Pre-season lessons against Champions League calibre
Despite the heavy defeat, O'Neill remained philosophical, highlighting the value of testing himself against last season's Champions League quarter-finalists while integrating several youngsters in the second half.
"First of all, it's a great experience for some of the young boys to be playing against a side like that," he said. "But secondly, and the senior players too, we all can learn from it. Learn just fundamental things – closing players down, trying to get there first, recovering quicker, things like that."
The Scottish champions have two further friendlies this month, against Middlesbrough and AC Milan, before opening their Premiership defence away to Dundee on 3 August. Duran's integration will be closely watched as Celtic seek to fill the void if Maeda does leave, with O'Neill banking on the newcomer's hunger to blossom into a similar pressing threat.
Source: BBC Sport
