Landon Emenalo, son of former Super Eagles defender Michael Emenalo, has begun training with Celtic after completing his injury rehabilitation at Chelsea.
The 18-year-old left-back joined the Scottish champions on a season-long loan from Chelsea in September but had to delay his arrival in Glasgow while recovering from injury.
Celtic confirmed on Tuesday that the youngster had linked up with manager Martin O’Neill’s squad, taking an important step towards making his debut for the club.
Speaking to Celtic’s official website, Emenalo expressed his excitement at finally joining his new teammates after the prolonged wait.
“It’s really an honour to be here, especially after all this time. It felt good to train today and meet the guys. It’s a good group. So I can’t wait to get started,” he said.
The defender also welcomed the opportunity to reunite with fellow Chelsea loanee Shim Mheuka, who had already featured for Celtic since completing his move.
“Obviously, I know Shim from Chelsea, so it’s nice to know someone here, but they’ve all welcomed me in, so it’s been pretty easy to join,” Emenalo added.
The youngster will provide additional options on the left side of Celtic’s defence, where O’Neill is seeking competition and depth.
The manager had previously praised Emenalo’s athleticism, composure on the ball and willingness to contribute in attacking areas, expressing confidence that he could strengthen the squad.
“Landon is a very good player we have followed for some time, and he will give us some real quality,” O’Neill said when the signing was announced.
The defender, who developed through Monaco and Chelsea’s academy systems, has also featured in Chelsea’s Under-21 side and was included in the club’s senior squad for their pre-season tour of Asia and Australia.
His return to training comes as Celtic prepare for a demanding run of fixtures. However, Emenalo was not included in the squad for Thursday’s Europa League meeting with Benfica because he was not registered for the competition.
The Nigerian-born defender will now hope to build his fitness and earn his first competitive appearance for the Scottish side.