Former Aston Villa striker Ross McCormack signed a four-year contract with Celtic

Struggling Luis Palma has been warned by former Celtic star Emilio Izaguirre that his opportunity at Parkhead could be passing him by.

The Honduras winger spoke of conversations with his countryman before he made the £3.5m switch from Aris late on in the summer window in 2023 and that came after Izaguirre had talked him up big time. The two appeared to have a close connection and it seems Izaguirre is still rooting for his compatriot to hit the ground running in Glasgow’s east end – but concedes things have not gone to plan admitting “something is missing” if he cannot find a regular starting spot.

The 24-year-old has struggled for regular game time this term with his first start of the season against the Bairns but failed to impress and was replaced after 60 minutes. His social media antics after the game have also earned criticism from supporters. Speaking to Deportes TVC, Izaguirre said on Palma: “It’s very complex because I haven’t experienced it. I’ve was a starter when I arrived.

“If you’re a 200 per cent professional, you have to be a thousand per cent professional because there are teammates who are more professional than you. You have to learn to eat and sleep well because people are very demanding.

If he is not a starter, something is missing. They don’t leave anything out. There are cameras even in training. Something must be happening because he is not a starter because they don’t forgive anyone. He must focus because the opportunity could pass him by and hopefully it won’t.”

Addressing the prospect of a January exit, he went on: “The tough thing is that there is pressure on the player and the news comes out that he is going to be loaned out, it is tough because mentally he can feel pressured or he can know that he has to get up to be a starter. It’s complex.