NafisaHE appeared poised to battle for his place at Celtic after spending the last 16 months out on loan.
But this overlooked Celtic winger could be in line for ANOTHER stint away from Parkhead – without even being given the opportunity to impress Brendan Rodgers during pre-season.
Marco Tilio, 23, delivered an impressive campaign in his native Australia with former side Melbourne City, capping off the season with yet another A-League crown.
The rapid winger secured the Championship title following their 1-0 Grand Final triumph over city rivals Melbourne Victory on Saturday.
Tilio is arguably in the finest form of his career, registering five goals and five assists across 19 appearances – surpassing his final season numbers in his initial spell at City, which led to his switch to Glasgow.
The Socceroos attacker featured just twice under Rodgers before being sent back to Melbourne for another extended loan.
While he was expected to report back to Glasgow this summer – after representing Australia internationally – Tilio recently confessed that his future at Celtic is “up in the air”.
His deal at Parkhead runs for another three years, but Tilio has hinted he might remain in Australia after all.
And Melbourne City director of football Michael Petrillo is hoping that’s the case, revealing discussions are underway with Celtic about the possibility of prolonging his loan for another season.
Speaking about the winger’s future, he told the Football Fever podcast: “We are still negotiating whether he stays another year or goes to Europe. We hope he stays.”
Responding to queries about his Celtic return over the weekend, Tilio said: “My future is obviously up in the air at the moment, so I’m unsure what is going to happen.
“It’s always been about just playing well. I know when I’m playing well people are always watching.”
Tilio was a £1.5million acquisition for the Scottish champions in the summer of 2023.
A thigh injury disrupted his season before it even began, forcing him to wait until November to make his first appearance.
But despite the setback and subsequent return to Australia, Tilio remains confident he could still leave a mark in Europe.
He told Optus Sport last year: “I’d hope to be saying I’ll be playing consistently over in Europe.
“I’d like to say. We’ll see but, yeah, that’s where my head’s at.”
Nafisa
