ANGE INSISTS ABADA WILL ‘HIT THE GROUND RUNNING’

NEW Bhoy Liel Abada, Celtic’s £3.5million Israeli recruit, will hit the ground running.

That’s the verdict of boss Ange Postecoglou as the 19-year-old winger agreed a five-year deal at the Hoops, as CQN reported last night.

Highly-rated Abada, who was being chased by clubs in Belgium, Greece and Germany, came through his medical without a hitch to seal his move from Maccabi Petah Tikva.

Postecoglou is also close to signing Swedish international central defender Carl Starfelt in a £4million switch from Russian club Rubin Kazan with today the transfer deadline for signings for the Champions League qualifiers with the Hoops due to face FC Midtjylland in Glasgow on Tuesday.

Abada, who scored 12 goals for his club last term, will not need to quarantine and has already stated it will be “an honour” to play for a club such as Celtic and is looking forward to meeting his new team-mates in training tomorrow.

Postecoglou said: “It’s good to get Leil in. He’s a good young player and who had a good season.

“I’ve been keen to add to our attacking options and he is one who has the attributes we are looking for when it comes to the type of football we want to play.

“He’s quick and exciting, and he scores goals. He will be up at Lennoxtown by Friday and we’ll see what kind of condition he’s in.

“I’m assuming he can hit the ground running.”

Postecoglou expects more new arrivals in the very near future and, speaking to the Daily Record, added: “We’re working hard on others.

“The idea is to get them in as soon as we can, but the world is a complicated place at the moment.

“It’s not as easy as putting people on planes and they are here in a day.

“We’re working through it. I’m confident we will have more in the building in the next week or so.”