Luis Palma on Celtic dream behind transfer as he talks up Emilio Izaguirre's Champions League heroics

Luis Palma admits he used to dream of being like Emilio Izaguirre playing in the Champions League when he was pushing around his parents’ food cart as a kid in La Ceiba.

The Celtic new boy can’t quite believe it’s about to become a reality following his £3.5million transfer from Aris in Greece. Palma has come a long way from his humble upbringing in Honduras, where he worked flogging chicken and vegetables from the age of 10. He also used to tune in to watch national hero Izaguirre cutting it with the cream of the continent during his time with the Hoops – so it was a surreal moment hearing his hero on the end of the phone before he completed his big move.

Palma said: “I feel like the 10-year-old boy I was, dreaming about playing in the Champions League and now I’m just looking forward to it. I watched it when I was younger and I looked at Emilio and him playing in Europe with the Celtic team. Now I’m excited that I get to do that myself.

“I spoke to Emilio a couple of days ago. We talked about the club and now that I’m here I’d like to do as much or even more than what Emilio did at the club. We had a chat about it and had a good laugh because that’s what every player wants to do – to come in and play in front of a lot of fans. So it’s something that I’m looking to try to do and I’m excited about it.”

Celtic fans are excited too as the 23-year-old comes with a big reputation after a sparkling season in Greece. Palma, speaking to Celtic TV, said: “I feel that my finishing is quite strong. I am also quite good at my free-kick as well, I am good in a one-on-one attacking situation.

“I’m hoping to bring these skills over to Celtic. The manager has only just spoken to me briefly and welcomed me to the club.

“He said in