Celtic star Camilo Durán has been impressing with his national side Colombia during the international window. The forward made his long-awaited national team debut during this window, and on Tuesday night, he was given the chance to impress again.
Durán came off the bench for the last half-hour of his side's friendly clash with Peru, and his side were already one up, while they went on to make it two in stoppage time.
But Durán did have his say by producing a superb recovery run that saw him drive up the field with the ball and force Miguel Araujo into a challenge that earned him a red card. Publimetro Colombia reported that Durán breathed 'fresh air' into his side.
That will please Martin O'Neill, who has seen Durán's form suffer in the weeks leading into the international break. The Colombian was hungry and hard-working in the first few weeks of the season, but he struggled to get into the games that Celtic lost during their three-game slide going into the break.
The Bhoys know they have a real talent in Durán, but they also know they are relying on him to be a big part of their attack. Celtic don't have enough talent to have star men like Durán not showing up, and the problem is exacerbated by Kasper Hogh having not shown his best form so far.
It will be interesting to see if Durán can get his form back now that he has made an impact at international level, and Celtic will be hoping that is the case.
The Hoops face Motherwell this weekend before taking on Benfica, Hearts and Celta Vigo in a very tough run of games. Whether he is playing out on the right or up top, Celtic need Durán to be playing like he was in the first few games of the season in those three big games.
When the Colombian is at his best, Celtic are always going to have a chance, even if they have issues in the midfield that are not going away. This Bhoys side simply have to rely on their attack to carry them through this season, or at least until they can sign a midfielder with presence in the January transfer window.
Celtic's biggest talent need to find an ability to start grabbing their teammates by the scruff of the neck, and that sort of confidence, O'Neill hopes, will come for the new players like Durán as they get more comfortable in their new surroundings.
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