Celtic may be watching closely as summer target shines on international duty

The Hoops pushed to sign the Torino midfielder during the summer as Martin O’Neill looked to reshape his options in the middle of the park.

Celtic ultimately failed to get a deal over the line for the 22-year-old, during a window which also saw Arne Engels eventually complete a move to West Ham despite the Hoops initially having no desire to sell him.

Gineitis has since admitted that the prospect of moving to Parkhead appealed to him, and his latest performances for Lithuania may leave Celtic supporters wondering what might have been.

The midfielder completed the full 90 minutes of Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Azerbaijan and won the penalty which allowed Lithuania to take an early lead.

Azerbaijan equalised shortly afterwards, but Gineitis also impressed with his defensive work.

According to FotMob, he registered five defensive contributions, including two tackles, two clearances and a block. He also made four recoveries and won six of his 12 ground duels.

That followed another influential performance in Lithuania’s 2-0 victory over Liechtenstein three days earlier.

Gineitis provided the assist for Artur Dolznikov and was heavily involved throughout, taking 109 touches and creating a game-high six chances.

He completed 74 of his 83 attempted passes, made another six recoveries and won four of his six ground duels without being dribbled past.

Whether Celtic go back in for Gineitis in January, we will have to wait and see…