Brendan Rodgers made eight changes to his Celtic starting XI against Falkirk on Sunday, which included Luis Palma's return to the fold.
The Honduran midfielder has struggled for opportunities so far this season, and while the weekend's Scottish League Cup quarter-final marked a perfect chance to make his mark, Palma struggled to impact the game.
The 24-year-old was substituted for Yang on the hour mark, and has now left many Celtic fans questioning his place in the wider squad, far less his spot pushing for first-team football.
A dedicated thread on the Celtic sub Reddit boasts an array of opinions on the player – ranging from those still defending the winger to those less sure of his place, those who'll happily persevere, and those who reckon he's missed his chance and will depart the club in January.
The thread's original poster suggests that Palma's double penalty miss against Ross County at the end of January last season was the straw that broke the camel's back for many fans, giving the player an impossible hill to climb from thereon.
"I feel like there’s a player in him and we’ve seen that, he showed it during the first term of last season then Kuhn came in and he started to fall," said OP Quirky_Maintenance39. "He has a lot of potential in him and if he was to be on form he would be an amazing addition but I guess since there’s so much competition for our winger spots it’s almost like he’s given up."
Reddit user Atre 16 replied: "If we played a 4-2-3-1 and used him as a CAM with two of our rapid wingers doing the running? All for it.
"We don't play that way. He doesn't fit the style when we play our best football. That's currently Maeda on the left and Kühn on the right.
"The wingers we do rotate in should maintain the pressing style. Even if there's a drop off in the quality, they should be doing something similar. Yang is not Maeda and it's unlikely he ever will be, but I'd be more trusting of him putting in the required effort than Palma currently."
Read more:
- Celtic instant analysis as Killer Kuhn comes to the rescue
- What Celtic's Rodgers told Falkirk in their dressing room
One Reddit user echoed a similar sentiment: "I’ve always defended him and I do think there’s a useful player in there. But, he goes missing consistently in the big games, moans far too much and ultimately isn’t good enough for Celtic."
While another was more direct: "He's slow, lazy and rarely shows for a pass. The very antithesis of what this Celtic team are. Zero protection for Valle either. He should go in January."
Given fellow midfielder Nicolas Kuhn's impact against Falkirk was so distinct – the German assisted twice in as many minutes for Adam Idah before netting two goals of his own in the final stretch – it seems Palma's perceivable shortcomings have been magnified.
Reddit user forfudgecake said of Palma: "He's been given his chance at this stage and not delivered in my opinion. Comparison to Kuhn should be enough to tell the story."
Check out the full Reddit thread on Palma here, and read The Celtic Way's own player ratings from Sunday's match.
