Callum Osmand revealed he was moments away from heading to the toilet when manager Martin O’Neill informed him he was about to enter Celtic’s Scottish Premiership title-decider against Hearts.
The young striker had not featured in a matchday squad for more than six months following the hamstring injury he suffered in November, but marked his return in dramatic fashion during the title-winning encounter.
Introduced with 17 minutes remaining, Osmand quickly made his presence felt. The 20-year-old provided the cross for Daizen Maeda’s late goal before adding one himself in stoppage time, tapping into an empty net to complete a 3-1 victory and confirm Celtic as champions.
Recalling the moment he learned he would be coming on, Osmand admitted the news caught him completely off guard.
“I was going inside to the toilet, actually. He grabbed me, and he was like, ‘Oh, get ready’,” Osmand said via The Herald.
“That’s when I knew. I was like, this could be it. And I knew I was ready for it. It will hit you at once, all the nerves. And then as soon as you step on, everything just goes for me.
“He didn’t really say much to me. He just said, ‘You know what you’re doing’. And he gave me a few bits of advice and a few little bits.
“But I feel like if you get too much given to you and too much said to you, it sort of might throw you off a bit. But he speaks to me all the time. And I knew what I was there to do.”
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