Celtic boss Martin O’Neill hailed Camilo Duran as exceptional after he produced a magnificent display to fire his side towards the Champions League group stage.
The Colombian scored twice as Celtic swept aside LASK 3-0 at Parkhead on Wednesday night.
Celtic are firmly in control of their play-off tie ahead of next week’s second leg in Austria.
Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring for the Hoops with a superb volley before Duran produced a near-identical finish 12 minutes later, firing into the top corner from outside the box.
His second was even better.
After combining with Nygren and benefiting from Kasper Hogh’s clever flick, Duran calmly finished from inside the area to complete a memorable individual performance.
O’Neill was particularly impressed by the forward’s contribution without the ball, with Duran repeatedly tracking back to help his teammates defensively.
“He was exceptional. Really exceptional,” O’Neill said (via The Guardian).
“He’s been fantastic for us since he’s arrived at the football club. His goals were terrific, his play was great.
“His running back, helping full-backs, helping Colby Donovan out on a number of occasions. It was just a magnificent performance.”
The Celtic boss also believes the £4.5m signing could prove to be one of the bargains of the summer.
“If he stays clear of injury, he’s going to be a really, really good player,” O’Neill added. “I think he’s a real bargain.”
That assessment already looks justified after Duran’s electric start to life in Glasgow.
His third Celtic goal came at a crucial moment in a match where LASK threatened on several occasions, with the visitors even having two goals ruled out for offside.
Celtic will now travel to Linz with a three-goal advantage and renewed belief that they can finally end their recent struggles in Champions League qualifying.
Duran has already emerged as one of the biggest reasons for their optimism.
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