Marco Tilio will get the chance to stake a claim for a place in Brendan Rodgers’ plans this summer, with the Celtic boss set to assess the winger during pre-season.
The Australian international spent the second half of last season on loan at Melbourne City, where he delivered a solid return of five goals and five assists across 19 appearances. It was a much-needed confidence boost after a frustrating spell at Parkhead, where he arrived injured after his summer transfer.
Tilio managed just two brief outings before heading back to the A-League.
Now, the 23-year-old is expected to report back to Lennoxtown for pre-season training and be given an opportunity to impress the Celtic manager. Rodgers is keen to take a closer look at the winger’s progress during his time away, and Tilio may well feature in several upcoming friendly matches, including against Como, Sporting CP and Newcastle United, Mark Hendry reports.
While a permanent exit still looks like the likeliest outcome as per the report, the Hoops are keeping their options open. There is understood to be interest in Tilio should Celtic decide to move him on, but no final decision has been made.
Melbourne City’s director of football Michael Petrillo confirmed talks with Celtic were ongoing, a few weeks ago.
He said, “We’re still negotiating whether he stays another year or goes to Europe. We hope he stays another year.”
While Tilio has spoken about his future in the past.
“I’d hope to be saying I’ll be playing consistently over in Europe, I’d like to say.
“We’ll see. But yeah, that’s where my head’s at.”
