Martin O’Neill was pleased with Mika Baur after handing the midfielder his first Celtic start on one of the biggest nights of the season.
The Germany Under-21 international made his debut from the bench against Dundee United following his £4.5million move from Paderborn before being thrown straight into the starting XI for Wednesday’s Champions League play-off against LASK.
Baur lined up alongside Callum McGregor and Benjamin Nygren in midfield as Celtic secured an emphatic 3-0 first-leg victory at Celtic Park.
The new arrival helped provide balance in the middle of the pitch and O’Neill was satisfied with how he handled such a significant occasion so early in his Celtic career.
O’Neill said via The Herald: “He did really fine. It was a tough game to throw him into, I must admit. But he conducted himself pretty well.”
While Baur quietly impressed on his first start, it was fellow summer signing Camilo Duran who stole the headlines with two outstanding goals.
O’Neill was full of praise for the Colombian’s contribution at both ends of the pitch.
He said: “He was exceptional. Really exceptional, I said to him. He’s been fantastic for us since he’s arrived at the football club.
“And his goals were terrific, his play was great. His running back, helping full backs, helping Colby out on a number of occasions. It was just a magnificent performance.
“He’s going to be a really, really good player.
“I think that whatever we paid for Duran, I think he has paid his ticket by now. He’s only entered his fourth game. So I don’t think it was an awful lot of money when you consider some of the fees that they’re talking about for the Premier League.
“I think he’s a real bargain. Four and a half million or something like that there. Centre-forward has given us a bit of presence there, which I don’t think we had last year, despite Daizen Maeda probably winning the league for us single-handedly.”
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