Celtic are enjoying a great campaign right now, both domestically and in Europe. That does not mean that things are going well for all of their players. One who has struggled to even get into the team lately is Luis Palma. The Honduran had enjoyed a positive preseason but an early season injury saw him slip down the pecking order and he has never managed to really get back into the first-team fold.
Earlier in the season, Palma was at least getting a few substitute appearances. But now, even those have become rare for the Honduran winger, even though he has impressed with his national team lately.
That has unsurprisingly led to speculation about an exit. Teams from the MLS are rumoured to hold an interest in the signature of Palma.
But it looks like this is not something that Brendan Rodgers is giving much thought to at the moment. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, when asked about the potential of a Palma exit, the Celtic manager said:
"I haven’t seen anything on that; there’s nothing really to comment on. Luis hasn’t played a great deal of late, but as I said, he’s still a part of this squad; there’s nothing else more.
“He’s a good guy; it’s been difficult for him. Players have come into his position where he’s played, and he’s doing really well. If you look at the goal return of Daizen Maeda this year, the pressing, all that side of it, and then he was out for a few weeks injured, then Yang comes in and does really well.
“He’s working hard every day, he’s a good guy, he’s well-liked within the squad. Of course, I can only pick a certain amount of players, but he will continue to work and might get the opportunity as we go along."
Brendan Rodgers' blunt reaction to Luis Palma Celtic exit talk
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Palma. If he continues to struggle to get chances then an exit might become inevitable.
But at the same time, there is also the chance that he could still make it at Celtic Park. At the end of the day, there is no doubt about his ability to affect a game in the final third of the pitch. We have seen that on a number of occasions since his move to Glasgow.
The issue is that he is not a very consistent player and when he is not contributing with goals or assists, he is not someone you can pick just based on his overall game. Still, do not completely count him out just yet.