Julian Araujo’s time at Celtic may already be over, but the defender could still end the season with a World Cup appearance for Mexico.
Reports in Mexico suggest the right-back remains in line for Javier Aguirre’s squad despite missing the closing weeks of Celtic’s title-winning campaign through injury. At one stage it looked unlikely. Araujo suffered a hamstring problem in March and never returned before Martin O’Neill’s side sealed the Premiership on the final day against Hearts.
The timing was frustrating for both player and club.
Araujo had only really started settling into the side after arriving on loan from Bournemouth in January. He played regularly during a difficult spell in the season and quickly became one of the few natural right-backs available to O’Neill during the title chase. He also chipped in with a goal away at Kilmarnock during a chaotic 3-2 defeat at Rugby Park.
In total, Araujo made 14 appearances for Celtic across all competitions, including matches in Europe and the Scottish Cup.
The injury stopped any momentum he had built.
By April, O’Neill confirmed the Mexican international would not play again before the end of the season and Araujo returned to Bournemouth to continue rehabilitation work. Reports now claim he later travelled to Mexico to continue treatment ahead of the summer tournament.
Mexico’s preparation games begin this weekend with a friendly against Ghana on Saturday before further matches against Australia and Serbia later this month. Those fixtures should give a clearer picture of where Araujo stands physically before the World Cup begins in June.
Mexico then open their tournament against South Africa on June 11 before facing South Korea and the Czech Republic in Group A.
That probably says a lot about how highly Araujo is still rated internationally.
Mexico clearly believe he can recover in time, otherwise there would be little point involving him this close to the tournament. Aguirre also knows the player well from previous squads and may feel his experience at international level still makes him worth bringing.
From a Celtic perspective, the loan spell will probably be remembered as one that never fully got going.
There were signs Araujo could help the side. His pace down the right suited the aggressive style O’Neill wanted during the run-in and he looked comfortable getting forward in possession. But injuries interrupted things too often and Celtic eventually finished the season without him.
Even so, Araujo still leaves Glasgow as a league winner.
And if the latest reports are correct, he could soon swap Celtic’s title celebrations for the biggest stage in international football.
