International coach believes it's 'two years wasted' for Celtic ace at Parkhead

Luca Connell’s time at Celtic has so far been a waste of two years, according to his international coach.

Luca Connell spent time on loan at Queen's Park this past season. Picture: SNS

Ireland under-21 boss Jim Crawford has been unhappy with the lack of opportunities the midfielder has received since moving to Glasgow.

The 20-year-old made the switch to Neil Lennon’s side in the summer of 2019 having already played several games in the English Championship for Bolton Wanderers.

However, he’s yet to make a single appearance for the Celtic first-team and was sent out on loan to Queen’s Park late in the season.

Crawford insists the player must look to establish himself this coming season or look for opportunities elsewhere.

He told the Irish Independent: “I told him I was a bit concerned with him coming into the last camp. He hadn’t been playing much, he’d just made his debut for Queens Park on the Saturday and had a fantastic performance against Wales, to show that ability and potential that he has.

“So we sat down and spoke about it, that he does need to be playing first team football week-in week-out. He wants to kick on this year at Celtic, he understands that if things don’t, it’s about him having a discussion with the powers that be at Celtic to see where his best option is, to go out on loan or what have you.

“He’s another intelligent fella, he knows where he’s at, he knows he needs to be playing and it’s that two seasons of going off the radar which gave him time to reflect and say no, this is not what I am about, as I feel it is two years wasted.”