Julian Araujo watches Celtic Champions League win as return talk refuses to disappear

Julian Araujo has shown he is still keeping a close eye on Celtic after tuning in to watch Wednesday night’s Champions League victory over LASK.

Martin O’Neill’s side produced an impressive performance at Celtic Park to secure a 3-0 first-leg win, putting themselves in a commanding position ahead of Tuesday’s return in Austria.

And Araujo was watching from afar.

The Bournemouth defender posted a picture on his Instagram story showing the Celtic clash playing on CBS Sports on his laptop.

It has been a frustrating few months for the Mexico international, who quickly established himself as a fan favourite after arriving at Celtic on loan in January.

Araujo made 13 appearances and became O’Neill’s first-choice right-back during Alistair Johnston’s absence before a quad injury brought his spell at the Hoops to a premature end.

After returning to Bournemouth and making his comeback during pre-season, Araujo then suffered a recurrence of the problem.

His Celtic future has nevertheless remained a talking point.

Araujo himself fuelled speculation over a permanent return last season, while his cousin also hinted at the possibility after his final appearance for the Hoops and later returned to Glasgow for the Scottish Cup final.

Everton’s interest in Johnston had provided another potential route back to Celtic for Araujo this summer, but his latest injury setback appears to have complicated any prospect of an immediate move.

In the meantime, Colby Donovan has stepped up impressively in Johnston’s absence and produced another strong display against LASK.