Camilo Duran has described his Colombia debut as a childhood dream fulfilled, even as his Celtic career has been thrown into turmoil by a Champions League exit, back-to-back Old Firm defeats and supporter protests.
The £6million summer signing from Qarabag has been plunged straight into the Parkhead cauldron this term, with the Green Brigade launching a boycott amid mounting tension between fans and the board. Yet the 24-year-old forward has already enjoyed a major personal reward, earning a call-up for Colombia and making his international debut with cameos against Paraguay and Peru.
Dream debut for Colombia
Duran, who plundered six goals in his first five appearances for Celtic, has now gone five games without a goal and is desperate to rediscover that clinical touch. He said: "I was really happy to make my debut for the national team. It had been a dream of mine since I was a kid. Hopefully I can now go on to make many more appearances for my country."
He added: "My idols back then were James Rodriguez and Luis Diaz. Luis was rested for the two games I played in last week. But he should be back for the next window when we play Chile home and away. My goal now is to play for Celtic at a high level and perform the way I have been. Hopefully that will lead to more call-ups."
Duran believes his summer move to Glasgow was a key factor in his international recognition. He said: "I do think moving to Celtic in the summer was a big factor. Obviously I'm now playing in a new league with a really big club. If I put in performances and do things the right way here, it will definitely help my chances of winning more caps."
Settling in at Celtic
Despite the recent turmoil, Duran has no regrets about swapping Azerbaijan for Scotland. The Spanish-speaking forward has settled quickly into life in Glasgow, with his family also feeling at home, and he is taking English lessons.
He said: "Ever since I arrived, everyone has welcomed me – the players, the staff, everyone here at Lennoxtown. I feel really at home here, and so do my family. I hope we can achieve great things together on the pitch. I am really happy. Learning English is quite challenging but it's happening little by little. I'll be speaking it soon – hopefully!"
Manager Martin O'Neill has hailed Duran as his "main man" after his fast start, but the marquee arrival has largely been deployed out wide to accommodate record signing Kasper Hogh. The versatile forward is happy to fill in anywhere but believes he and the Danish frontman could form a lethal partnership.
Partnership and manager backing
Duran said: "We can definitely play together. I'll play wherever the manager wants me to play – on the wing, as a striker, as a No.10. I can definitely play up top with Kasper. He is a great player with some great traits. There are goals in him and, of course, it's a possibility we can play together."
The Colombian was also thrilled that O'Neill would remain in charge after the under-fire boss took the international break to consider his future. Duran is now determined to help Celtic turn the corner after three straight defeats, starting with Sunday's trip to Motherwell.
He said: "I'm delighted the manager is still here. Since I arrived at Celtic, he has received me in the best possible way. He has given me confidence. Hopefully Sunday can be the start of getting out of this difficult period. It was a really tough week losing the three games – really, really tough. We now need to pick ourselves up and give a proper response. It is a big game and we need to be fully focused."
Return to Lisbon
Duran also has a European date circled on his calendar, returning to familiar ground on Thursday when Celtic travel to Lisbon to face Benfica in the Europa League. He scored and assisted as Qarabag stunned the Portuguese with a 3-2 Champions League victory at the Estadio da Luz last season, and he also scored twice for Celtic in their Champions League play-off loss to LASK.
He said: "It is a beautiful fixture for me. It is a great stadium and it will be a great game. I have played there with Qarabag as well and it holds great memories for me. It's games like this that you want to play in. I was very young when I went to Portugal but it was a great move for me – it helped me and I learned a lot. Everything I learned from that period, I am putting into practice now. In the game at Benfica, we were behind 2-0 and came back to win 3-2. It was my debut in the Champions League and my first goal in the competition. With the help of God, I'll be able to do it again on Thursday night."
