Celtic manager Martin O'Neill believes new signing Camilo Duran possesses attributes similar to influential forward Daizen Maeda after the summer recruit scored in a friendly defeat by Sporting at the Estadio Algarve.

Duran's goal levelled the match at 1-1, but the Portuguese side, last season's Champions League quarter-finalists, netted three late goals for a 4-1 victory. O'Neill fielded several youngsters in the second half and expressed satisfaction with the experience despite the result. "First of all, it's a great experience for some of the young boys to be playing against a side like that," he said. "But secondly, and the senior players too, we all can learn from it."

The Northern Irishman emphasized learning fundamental aspects such as closing down opponents and recovering quicker, noting that pre-season results can be misleading. Champions Celtic have two more friendlies this month, against Middlesbrough and AC Milan, before returning to competitive action against Dundee in the Scottish Premiership on 3 August.