Camilo Duran’s first appearance in a Celtic shirt may have to wait, with the Colombian forward reportedly suffering from a stomach bug during the club’s Algarve pre-season camp.
The 24-year-old, Celtic’s only summer signing so far, could miss tonight’s clash with Sporting Lisbon and may have to wait until the weekend fixture against Middlesbrough to make his bow.
Duran arrived at Celtic Park last week in a £6m five-year deal, completing yet another remarkable chapter in one of football’s most unlikely ascent stories.
His journey has taken him from the streets of Santa Marta in Colombia through the youth ranks in Brazil, a semi-professional stint in Portugal’s lower reaches, and most recently a season in Azerbaijan’s top flight with Qarabag.
In a strange twist of fate, Duran is no stranger to the Algarve, having previously played for Portimonense, a club located roughly 20 minutes from Celtic’s current pre-season base in Albufeira.
Portimonense play in Portugal’s second division and regularly attract crowds of around 1,200 supporters, a far cry from the atmosphere Duran will now encounter at Celtic Park on a European night.
Before Portimonense, the forward’s entry point into Portuguese football was even more modest, turning out for Lusitania in what amounted to the Portuguese equivalent of the Lowland League, a semi-professional club playing in front of a few hundred spectators in the Azores district league.
It was there that coach Ricardo Pessoa first spotted Duran’s potential and ultimately took him along to Portimonense, where the relationship between player and manager proved to be a formative one.
Pessoa has spoken candidly about the challenges of developing Duran, saying: “He was a player of extraordinary quality, a left foot far superior to what you often see, even in the top league.”
The coach was equally frank about the mental and emotional work required, adding: “He had some problems, mainly at an emotional and mental level, in terms of training. I managed to help him reach those levels. We had many arguments, but he accepted it and today he recognises that if it hadn’t been for that, he would very likely not have gotten there.”
Pessoa reflected on the broader lesson of Duran’s rise, stating: “Because he had the quality, but to reach that level, sometimes you need much more than just quality.”
Duran’s performances at Portimonense earned him a £200,000 transfer to Qarabag 12 months ago, where he gained exposure to European competition and further sharpened his game.
Celtic are now expecting him to fill the significant void likely to be left by departing winger Daizen Maeda, with the club currently short of options across the front line.
Duran started his career as a left winger but played through the middle during his time at Qarabag, giving Celtic’s coaching staff some tactical flexibility as they navigate a thin squad in multiple positions.
Given the club’s current shortage of wide men, Duran may find himself deployed on the flank initially before any reinforcements arrive to bolster the attacking options available to the manager.
The £6m fee brings with it significant expectation, and Celtic fans will be acutely aware that more experienced players have previously struggled to adapt to the demands of the role.
Those who have worked closely with Duran, however, remain firmly convinced that the Colombian has the temperament and talent to handle whatever comes his way at his new club.
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