Julian Araujo’s Celtic arrival in January came with more questions than fanfare.
He had not kicked a ball since August at Bournemouth. No rhythm. No run of games. Just a loan move that felt like a gamble at the time.
Seven appearances later, the mood has shifted.
Three clean sheets. Energy down the right. A willingness to get up and down the flank that Celtic badly needed; he’s slotted in without fuss.
When injuries and rotation started to bite, Araujo was thrown in. There was no easing him through it. He has handled it well.
Now he is registered for the Europa League squad and available for the play-off tie against Stuttgart. The first leg is at Celtic Park on February 19.
That tells you plenty about where he stands in Martin O’Neill’s thinking.
The pace and aggression he brings could be important if Celtic are to take anything with them to Germany. Stuttgart will not hang about. They will test the wide areas.
O’Neill has been impressed by what he has seen so far.
Speaking on the Celtic FC Podcast, O’Neill said:
“I think he’s done really well, really well. He’s a good character. He wants to do well. And heart’s in the right place as well too.
“There’s parts of his game that he knows himself that he can really tighten up. But he, I think the experience here, injury, if he stays clear of serious injury, will stand him in really good stead.
“And if, for instance, he was heading back to Bournemouth to really challenge for a place in the Premier League team, then I think all of this experience will be great for him.
“There’s parts of his game that I, me as a manager, as a coach, say that I think that he can definitely improve on. But yeah, he’s had a great impact here so far.”
It’s balanced praise. O’Neill is not pretending Araujo is the finished article. He is not. There are moments defensively where he switches off. There are deliveries that need to be sharper. But the impact is real.
For a player who had not played since the summer, to walk into this side mid-season and contribute straight away says something about his mentality.
Celtic needed someone ready to compete, and they got that.
Whether there will be room for a potential permanent move, or even a loan extension, remains to be seen. That is not the focus for now, however.
There is a European tie on the horizon, and Araujo has already shown he is not fazed by being dropped into it.