Luis Palma has had a tough start to the season and it’s come at a cost with his national side.

Luis Palma
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Soccer Football – Men – Group B – New Zealand v Honduras – Ibaraki Kashima Stadium, Ibaraki, Japan – July 25, 2021. Luis Palma of Honduras celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Henry Romero

The 24-year-old winger was struggling for regular first-team minutes under Brendan Rodgers at the end of last season, with it fitness hampering his chances. This season, his luck hasn’t changed.

Palma has made just one start, which came against Falkirk, with his other appearances coming from brief cameos off the bench. The strong form of Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn has made it difficult for Palma to secure a spot on the flanks, leaving the Honduran international on the fringes of the squad, with even Yang ahead of him.

The lack of consistent game time has impacted his international career. Honduras national team coach, Reinaldo Rueda, left Palma out of the squad for this international break, citing the player’s need for more regular performances at the club level.

Rueda, speaking to La Prensa, acknowledged Palma’s minutes in Celtic’s friendly against Sligo Rovers last week, but stressed that a return to the Honduras national team will depend on more consistent game time at Celtic.

“Luis Palma, luckily, played in a friendly match and got some minutes.

“We hope he continues to have more participation with his team and he will then be considered.”

With the winger not on international duty, he travelled to Ireland with many other fringe stars and scored a hat trick to win Celtic the match 3-2.

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