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Luis Palma lifts lid on secret Celtic torment as he looks to catch Brendan Rodgers’ eye
Luis Palma has opened up on his personal struggles as he looks to fight his way back into the Celtic team.
The winger is back in the Honduran national squad for the double-header against Mexico despite limited game time with the Hoops in recent weeks. Palma has made just two starts for Celts under Brendan Rodgers this season but he revealed he’s also been dealing with heartache following the loss of a close family member.
The 24-year-old is determined to force his way back in the champions' side with a busy spell on the horizon – including next month's Premier Sports Cup showdown with Rangers. Palma said: “The truth is that I am very hurt to lose a family member and the people who from the beginning were supporting me for my future. But I had the support of my wife, my family, and it is a very complicated issue but I try to move forward and I know that she is up there watching everything.
“I’m working, striving day by day, wanting to take the same performance I had before at the club and coming here is a pride, happy to be in the national team and waiting for the things I’ve been proposing to happen so that they come out of everything the best.”
Palma is gearing up for another crack at Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals – after going down to their Central American rivals at the same stage of the competition last year. Honduras won 2-0 at home before losing by the same scoreline at the Azteca before crashing on penalties.
Palma’s side are gunning for revenge after being left raging at some of the refereeing decisions in Mexico City. The wide man said: "It’s a great honour to be back in the national team after missing the last window. I’m very happy to be here for the match against Mexico.
“I’ve trained well, and unfortunately, I haven’t had many minutes, but physically, I feel very good. The mindset remains the same: to work, contribute what I can to the national team, and continue growing with the same dreams as my teammates.
"There are always paybacks in football, but we have to focus on our job and follow the instructions of our coach. There is no need to be afraid. We are going to make sure we play well in both stadiums.
“We are with our fans on Friday and expect 1000 percent support. The extra football part is not in our hands. We are going to give it our all. I hope everything is clean.”
