Celtic news: Martin O’Neill announces 25-man Europa League squad, including seven summer recruits
Celtic have named their 25-man squad for the Europa League league phase, with seven summer recruits included in Martin O’Neill’s selection.
The Hoops’ European campaign gets underway at home to Hungarian outfit Ferencváros on Thursday 17 September, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm UK time.
O’Neill keeps domestic focus
After announcing his squad for Europe, O’Neill told the Celtic website: “There are obviously some very tough decisions to be made in putting this squad together for the Europa League.
“It’s a difficult list and for me the most important thing is our domestic football.
“Of course, we’re disappointed about the Champions League but the Europa League is still very strong, and we want to try and do as well as we possibly can in that.
“But the players we have signed, we want them to make a mark initially in the domestic scene, which is the most important thing for us at this stage.
“Then, we’ve got a chance to perhaps change things in February if we’re still in contention.”
Sørensen offers ‘different dynamic’
Danish midfielder Oliver Sørensen, recently signed on a season-long loan from Serie A side Parma, was included in the Europa League squad.
And during an interview with the club’s official website, Sørensen said of joining Celtic: “My first impression is that there is a lot of quality and it’s a very, very good team.
“It’s a club and a team that plays very attacking football, so I’m ready to work for the team and then hopefully make a few goals as well.
“I think I’m a different profile than most of the midfielders now.
“I’m more like a running player and all of them are good dictators of the game.
“So, I think I bring maybe a different dynamic.”
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Celtic’s Europa League squad
Goalkeepers: Viljami Sinisalo, Ross Doohan, Sam Johnstone
Defenders: Alistair Johnston, Liam Scales, Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Dane Murray, Colby Donovan, Anthony Ralston, Kieran Tierney, Jordan Lotomba
Midfielders: Benjamin Nygren, Luke McCowan, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mika Baur, Callum McGregor, Oliver Sørensen
Forwards: Kasper Høgh, Camilo Duran, Hyunjun Yang, Sebastian Tounekti, Callum Osmand, Haissem Hassan, James Forrest
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