Celtic confirm Europa League squad as £3.4m new signing misses out

Celtic have officially submitted their 25-player squad for the Europa League, with seven summer arrivals making the cut.

Record signing Kasper Hogh is included alongside fellow recruits Camilo Duran, Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan. The club’s three most recent additions — goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, defender Jordan Lotomba and midfielder Oliver Sorensen — have also been registered for the competition.

However, there is no place for £3.4million signing Joel van den Berg, who completed his move from PSV on Tuesday. Chelsea youngsters Landon Emenalo and Shim Mheuka have also been left out, despite Mheuka making his Celtic debut during the 3-0 victory over Aberdeen.

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill admitted that selecting the squad involved some difficult choices, while stressing that domestic football remains the club’s main priority.

“There are obviously some very tough decisions to be made in putting this squad together for the Europa League,” O’Neill said.

“It’s a difficult list and, for me, the most important thing is our domestic football.

“Of course, we’re disappointed about the Champions League, but the Europa League is still very strong and we want to try and do as well as we possibly can in that.”

Speaking to CelticPlayer, O’Neill explained that the club’s new arrivals will initially be expected to make their impact in domestic competition.

“The players we have signed, we want them to make a mark initially in the domestic scene, which is the most important thing for us at this stage,” he added.

Celtic will have another opportunity to adjust their European squad later in the season, with changes possible in February should they remain involved in the competition.

The Hoops will begin their Europa League campaign at Celtic Park on Thursday, September 17, when they welcome Hungarian side Ferencvaros.