Celtic complete signing of defender
Celtic today announced that they have completed the signing of Honduras international Emilio Izaguirre. The left-back has joined the Scottish Premier League giants on a four-year contract from Motagua in his homeland for an undisclosed fee.
The 24-year-old has joined up with his new team-mates and has started to train with them, but his signing comes too late for him to be able to be included in the squad for the Hoops’ crunch UEFA Europa League play-off clash with Utrecht tomorrow. The club’s newest recruit played against Chile and eventual champions Spain at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but did not feature against Switzerland in South Africa.
Manager Neil Lennon revealed to reporters that: "He trained today. He won't play tomorrow but should be available for selection after that. "He's a good player. He's strong defensively, he's quick, he's got a very good left foot and he's good going forward. He had a good World Cup for Honduras. (Full-back) is an area we've been looking to fill for a while. We've taken our time with this one and we think we've got the right one."
Izaguirre is Lennon’s ninth signing of the summer as the coach overhauls the squad to try and win back the SPL title from bitter rivals Rangers. Izaguirre will compete with fellow new arrival Charlie Mulgrew for the berth on the left of the defensive line.
The defender, who can also play in midfield, spent his entire pre-Celtic career at Motagua. He made his senior debut in March 2004 and went on to play 143 first-team games for the club and scored four goals. He also had a trial with Football League Championship outfit Ipswich Town but was not able to play in any matches having failed to receive international clearance.
Izaguirre has played 44 games for his country and has scored one goal, in a 3-1 friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago in 2007.
Tags: